Venezuela’s Government Delegation Signs 2 Agreements in Barbados to Resume Peace Talks

The Venezuelan government’s delegation arrived in Barbados to resume peace talks with the far-right opposition, Unitary Platform. During the afternoon, two agreements were signed by the delegations, with diplomatic representatives from Norway, Mexico, and Barbados serving as international witnesses.

The Venezuelan government’s delegation, headed by President of the National Assembly (AN) and PSUV Deputy Jorge Rodríguez Gómez, comprises President Nicolás Maduro, Deputy Génesis Garvett, human rights activist Camila Fabri de Saab, Vice Minister for Anti-Blockade Policies William Castillo, and Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Council Larry Davoe. Ministers Francisco Torrealba, Diva Guzmán, and Gabriela Jiménez were also part of the delegation.

Upon arrival in Barbados on Tuesday, October 17, Rodríguez said, “We arrived in the city of Bridgetown, Barbados, to resume the dialogue process with a sector of the opposition. We are convinced that the path is peace within the framework of the law and the Constitution.”

En nombre del Presidente Nicolás Maduro y del pueblo venezolano, llegamos a la ciudad de Bridgetown, Barbados a fin de retomar el proceso de diálogo con un sector de las oposiciones. Estamos convencidos que el camino es la paz en el marco de la ley y la Constitución. pic.twitter.com/7C1cMmGv1d

— Jorge Rodríguez (@jorgerpsuv) October 17, 2023

Two agreements signed
On Tuesday afternoon, President Maduro reported signing two agreements by the delegations in Barbados. The first one relates to unifying criteria for the territorial dispute over the Essequibo territory between Guyana and Venezuela and the illegal exploration and exploitation of oil on territorial water belonging exclusively to Venezuela.

The safeguarding of Venezuelan assets abroad was also contemplated in the agreements. CITGO Corporation stands out as the result of neglect and wrongdoings by the opposition, and US interference has the multi-billion dollar corporation at the brink of liquidation.

Comparto la Firma del Acuerdo Parcial para la Protección de los Intereses Vitales de la Nación, bajo el amparo de la Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, reivindicando como derechos irrenunciables la independencia, la libertad, la soberanía, la inmunidad, la… pic.twitter.com/GqkrPV0EL8

— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) October 17, 2023

The second agreement, “Partial Agreement for the Promotion of Political Rights and Electoral Warranties,” contemplates a series of agreements aimed at the 2024 presidential race. The most relevant issues agreed upon were scheduling the 2024 presidential race for the second semester of 2024, promoting a public discourse favorable for a peaceful and participatory electoral process, securing political candidates’ safety and free transit, and recognizing the electoral results.

Igualmente, la firma del Acuerdo Parcial sobre la promoción de Derechos políticos y garantías electorales para todos, ratifica el fortalecimiento de una democracia inclusiva y de convivencia política que defenderá los derechos humanos sujetos a nuestra Constitución de la… pic.twitter.com/0z6yiiJZdR

— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) October 18, 2023

On Monday, The Washington Post reported that no provision about lifting disqualifications was contemplated in the agreements. Most provisions in the second agreement on political rights are those already considered in the Venezuelan laws and the Magna Carta.

Mexico Talks
The last meeting between this opposition sector and the Venezuelan government’s delegation, part of the process facilitated by Norway and Mexico, took place in November of last year. It culminated in the signing of the Second Partial Agreement for the Protection of the Venezuelan People in Mexico City.

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This agreement establishes the conditions for executing protective measures for the Venezuelan people, as well as the constitution and mandate of the bodies created through the Partial Agreement of September 2021. In addition, it considers requesting United Nations (UN) support for the design, establishment, and implementation of a single trust fund aimed at expanding the implementation of social protection measures for the Venezuelan people.

However, the specifications in this Second Partial Agreement that address social needs by rescuing the legitimate resources of Venezuela that are blocked have not been fulfilled to date, dispossessing Venezuela of more than $3 billion much needed by the Venezuelan people.

On repeated occasions, both President Nicolás Maduro and Deputy Jorge Rodríguez have urged the opposition sector participating in the dialogue process to comply with the agreements signed in Mexico and to push the United States to respect the agreements. However, the calls have not borne fruit so far. This is the strongest argument presented by Venezuela to resume the Mexico Talks that are now being resumed in Barbados.

Venezuela’s Government and Unitary Platform Resume Dialogue

More than two years of dialogue
The dialogue process between the Venezuelan government delegates and an opposition sector, mediated by Norway and Mexico, formally began on August 13, 2021, with the signing of an agreement that formalized the beginning of a dialogue to resolve the political struggle in Venezuela.

A “memorandum of understanding” was signed then by Jorge Rodríguez on behalf of Nicolás Maduro’s government and Gerardo Blayde of the so-called Unitary Platform.

In the signed document, both delegations showed their willingness to “agree on the necessary conditions for the electoral processes enshrined in the Constitution to be carried out with all the guarantees, and understanding the need for international sanctions to be lifted.”

 

(Últimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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