Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond
From Venezuela and made by Venezuelan Chavistas
US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken (right) and Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro (left) speaking at a joint news conference in Bogotá with a a painting of Simón Bolívar in the background, on Monday, October 3, 2022. Photo: Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images/File photo.
Caracas, March 29, 2023 (OrinocoTribune.com)—The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, announced this Tuesday via his social media accounts that he is going to convene an “international conference” to advance the political dialogue between Venezuela’s opposition and elected government.
“I will convene an international conference in Colombia with the objective of building a road map that will permit effective political dialogue…” the president wrote briefly on Tuesday, March 28.
According to Spain’s El Pais, the conference will be held in Bogotá. President Maduro, with whom Petro agreed to the conference on his last visit to Caracas, may be in attendance. President Maduro’s presence, however, might lessen the chance of Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, attending. Blinken has unofficially confirmed his presence, according to the Spanish newspaper.
Presidents of Venezuela and Colombia Meet in Caracas, 4th Meeting in 7 Months
From this conference, it is anticipated that a working group will be formed to develop a viable technical and political route for easing and lifting sanctions on Venezuela. In turn, the Venezuelan government agreed that it would release prisoners and eliminate disqualifications imposed on opposition politicians, in addition to specifying a date for the 2024 presidential elections, El Pais reports.
Convocaré en Colombia una conferencia internacional con el objetivo de construir la hoja de ruta que permita el dialogo político efectivo de la sociedad y el gobierno Venezolano.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 28, 2023
Petro met with Maduro on March 23 at the Aquiles Nazoa Cultural House in Caracas, their fourth meeting since both nations resumed diplomatic relations in August 2022. On November 1, both presidents signed a joint declaration resuming diplomatic relations.
The second meeting was held in January 2023, again at Miraflores Palace, as part of the first round of peace talks between the Colombian government and the Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN), held in Caracas. The most recent meeting occurred on February 16 at the Atanasio Girardot international bridge, on the border of the two countries, where an important trade agreement was signed and a special economic binational zone was proposed by Venezuelan authorities.
Muya bien EEUU por aceptar la propuesta de una conferencia internacional sobre la democracia en Venezuela. Un continente sin sanciones, en Paz y con mucha democracia.https://t.co/39aJ5U9o5t
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 29, 2023
Washington on board
US officials said this Wednesday that Biden’s government is willing to participate in the international conference for the construction of the road map that allows progress in the political dialogue in Venezuela. This was stated by the State Department’s Undersecretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, in an interview with EFE.
“Yes, we are willing to participate,” Nichols said. “Any country that is contributing its good votes and good offices to improve the situation is something important,” the official said. Nevertheless, the US has failed to comply with the agreement, signed last November in Mexico, that it would return more than $3 billion seized by the US. The funds would have gone toward Venezuelan infrastructure and social programs.
The US decision was celebrated by the Colombian president through a message posted on his social media accounts: “Very good US, for accepting the proposal of an international conference on democracy in Venezuela. A continent without sanctions, at peace and with an abundance of democracy.”
— Delegación de la Plataforma Unitaria – Negociación (@DelegacionUVzla) March 29, 2023
Venezuelan far right opposition eager to participate
On Wednesday, the Unitary Platform, formed by Justice First (PJ), Democratic Action (AD), and A New Era (Un Nuevo Tiempo, UNT), issued a statement through their social media accounts, expressing support for any initiative aiming at resuming the dialogue, after blaming the Venezuelan government for the stalled Mexico Talks. In fact, the reason for the rupture was that the Unitary Platform and the US government failed to honor their agreements.
“All initiatives promoted by world democracies toward the resumption of the Venezuelan peace dialogue have our support, knowing that negotiation is the key tool to achieve freedom, prosperity, and democracy in our homeland,” reads part of the statement of the far-right group.
Meanwhile, the proposal is gaining traction in Venezuelan political debates. Domestic analysts from all sides of the spectrum have pronounced themselves against or in favor of President Petro’s initiative. Numerous analysts have mentioned the importance of having all political and nonpolitical sectors participate in the initiative.
The rapid response of Washington and its local operators is, for many analysts, evidence of the resounding defeat of the US “regime”-change operation, while Venezuela has shown signs of economic recovery and stability after learning how to circumvent illegal US and European sanctions. The only incentive for Chavismo to join an initiative of this sort might be a real US commitment to lifting sanctions and returning billions of dollars in illegally seized funds and assets.
Orinoco Tribune Special by staff
OT/JRE/SL
