Venezuela's VP Rodríguez Meets Gerardo Blyde & Presidents of France, Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil in Brussels

The vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, held a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, with the sector of the Venezuelan opposition represented by Gerardo Blyde, chief negotiator of the Unitary Platform (PU). The meeting was also attended by the presidents of France (Emmanuel Macron), Argentina (Alberto Fernández), Colombia (Gustavo Petro), and Brazil (“Lula” Da Silva).

The meeting took place on Monday, July 17, within the framework of the third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU).

Earlier, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said from the summit that the meeting “is just another intermediary meeting.”

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“The intention is to reacclimatize the process that allows, through dialogue between the different factions of Venezuelan society, a democratic agreement to be reached,” said President Petro. “Colombia is ready for the dialogue. Venezuela is a guarantor of the two peace processes underway in Colombia and has been a venue for Colombian peace dialogues. To that extent, we are willing to make room for a democratic dialogue on Venezuela.”

This is the second meeting of this format, following a meeting held last November during the Paris Peace Forum; however, this time, the presidents of Argentina and Colombia were joined by the Brazilian president.

Last February, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, ruled out the resumption of the dialogues that his government was holding with representatives of the opposition until the agreements reached in Mexico were complied with and until Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab was released from prison in the US.

“We do not dialogue with maulas (cheats),” emphasized President Maduro on that occasion, who pointed out the noncompliance with the agreements reached at the Mexico Talks with representatives of the opposition Unitary Platform. “We dialogue with anyone who is willing to dialogue and when you dialogue, you have to keep your word… What certainty does it give one to dialogue with people who do not comply?”

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On November 26, 2022, during the Mexico Talks, the Venezuelan government delegation and the Unitary Platform signed an agreement pledging to return US $3.2 billion that had been seized by the US and its opposition allies during its economic war on Venezuela. The funds were earmarked for social programs and were to be administered by the United Nations (UN). However, the opposition and the US government did not comply with the agreement to release these funds.

Joint declaration
At the end of the meeting, a joint statement was released and published on the website of the French presidency. The most substantive paragraphs in the document are as follows:

The Presidents of Argentina, Brazil and Colombia and the [EU] High Representative expressed their solidarity with the host countries of Venezuelan nationals who have left the country. They welcomed the signing in Mexico City of an inter-Venezuelan social agreement on November 26, 2022, and called for its effective implementation as soon as possible, for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.

The Heads of State and High Representative encouraged the Venezuelan government and the united opposition platform to resume dialogue and negotiation within the framework of the Mexico Talks, in order to agree, among other agenda items, the conditions for the forthcoming elections. They called for political negotiations leading to the organization of fair, transparent, and inclusive elections, allowing the participation of all those who so wish, in accordance with the law and international treaties in force, with international support. This process must be accompanied by the lifting of sanctions of all kinds, with a view to their complete abolition.

(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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