Venezuela has the Advantage in New Round of Dialogue with the White House

By Misión Verdad – Jul 2, 2024

President Nicolás Maduro announced on his weekly television program Con Maduro+ that the Venezuelan government will resume direct dialogue with the United States government in order to comply with the agreements signed in Qatar and reestablish the terms of dialogue “with respect and without manipulation.” He noted his willingness to engage in dialogue and his desire through these conversations that Venezuela, its democracy, and its people be respected.

For two months, the US government has proposed re-establishing direct dialogue, which the president has decided to accept after careful consideration. The president noted the importance of these talks being public to avoid manipulation and he added that they will not be hidden in secret meetings, as has happened in the past.

#EsNoticia | En su programa "Con Maduro +", el presidente @NicolasMaduro informó que el diálogo directo de Venezuela con Estados Unidos se reactiva a partir de este miércoles para que se cumplan los acuerdos establecidos en Qatar.
“Se busca el diálogo con respeto”, bajo la… pic.twitter.com/3wz52qnbLG
— Prensa Presidencial (@PresidencialVen) July 2, 2024

In this regard, President Maduro appointed Jorge Rodríguez as plenipotentiary head of the dialogue delegation and Héctor Rodríguez as Venezuela’s representative in the upcoming meetings with the United States. He expressed his desire to seek new agreements to guarantee compliance with what was agreed in Qatar and his interest in promoting changes with regards to the absolute sovereignty and independence of Venezuela.

The opposition, excluded from the previous talks, has reacted with the hope that the announcement is related to their “transition” narrative, but this theory is weakened by the absence of its participation in the process.

The initiative for dialogue comes from the United States, which demonstrates the need of the country to ensure the flow of Venezuelan oil. The fact that, after two months of reflection, President Maduro has accepted the proposal reveals Venezuela’s strategic attitude, not an urgent need.

All indications are that the talks will be held exclusively with the US government, without the participation of the opposition, which is a particularly upsetting blow for political actors such as María Corina Machado or the Unitary Platform. If this exclusion is confirmed, it would once again show the marginal role that the opposition has in this process.

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Maduro has said that the goal of the talks is to “enforce the Qatar accords,” suggesting that the central agenda is focused on energy. Venezuela is the ninth largest supplier of oil to the US, making it a key factor in US energy security.

In this context, the Venezuelan president’s strategy is presented as a move that gives him an advantage in the contingency. He is negotiating from a position of strength, with the oil factor as a pressure tool and Venezuela having room to be an actor of energy stability in the Western Hemisphere. Meanwhile, the opposition is marginalized from the dialogue, without the capacity to influence the agenda.

The question posed by our analyst Franco Vielma resonates strongly in this scenario: What is the reason behind engaging in conversations on these issues with a president who is supposedly about to lose the elections in less than a month? Time will tell.

(Misión Verdad)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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