Washington Reveals New Agenda for Negotiation with Caracas

One of the issues that will be on the agenda of an upcoming Washington-Caracas negotiation is the renewal of direct flights between Venezuela and the United States. The date of this meeting has not been announced yet.

This was confirmed by Juan González, deputy assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the US government.

Some news agencies and mainstream media informed that González conditioned the possibility of lifting sanctions and renewing flights to political situation in Venezuela.

“That is the objective, that flights are renewed, that the pressure on the country [Venezuela] be lifted,” stated González. “And also that they release political prisoners and begin to put in place guarantees so that all political sectors are competing and that it is the Venezuelans themselves who decide their future.”

He added that the US delegation had told the Venezuelan government that if concrete steps are taken as a result of the negotiations, the White House would be willing to “relieve pressure so that these negotiations can be legitimized.”

Policy change?
Last week, a meeting between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and US envoys took place at the Miraflores Palace. The meeting disconcerted the most radical sectors of the Venezuelan right wing, and former deputy Juan Guaidó, who were not notified of the meeting.

“Nosotros reconocemos a Juan Guaidó, pero Nicolás Maduro es el que está en el poder en este momento”, aseguró a NTN24 el asesor de la Casa Blanca para Latinoamérica, Juan González (@cartajuanero) https://t.co/govc9obdhm pic.twitter.com/xEhM09VkY8
— NTN24 (@NTN24) March 11, 2022

Despite pushing Guaidó aside, Juan González assured that the US government continues to recognize the former as Venezuela’s “interim” leader. “But we are going to talk to everyone to communicate our interests and advocate for democracy,” declared US President Biden’s advisor.

Featured image: US President Joe Biden (left) and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan González (right). File photo.

(RedRadioVE) by José Manuel Blanco Díaz

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/GMS/SC