CARACAS- Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro announced on Monday that he would resume talks with the United States on Wednesday, despite Washington’s sanctions against the oil sector and less than a month before presidential elections in Venezuela.
“Next Wednesday, talks with the United States will resume to ensure compliance with the agreements signed in Qatar and to reestablish the terms of dialogue with respect, without manipulation, and also to ensure that these are public dialogues without speculation,” said Maduro, who is seeking re-election.
According to the dictator, the resumption of talks was a proposal from the United States that he decided to accept after “thinking about it for two months.”
The Chavista regime will be represented by the head of Parliament and the dialogue commission, Jorge Rodríguez, and the governor of the state of Miranda (center), Héctor Rodríguez.
Venezuela and the United States began negotiations at the end of last year in Qatar. During those talks, they agreed to a prisoner swap: Washington would release Alex Saab, accused of being Maduro’s front man, and Caracas would release 28 prisoners, 10 Americans and 18 Venezuelans.
In parallel to these meetings, the Venezuelan regime and the opposition met to agree on the conditions and date of the presidential elections.
As a reward, the United States eased its oil embargo, but reimposed sanctions in April after the Venezuelan regime breached the agreement by disqualifying the main opposition leader, María Corina Machado, from running in the July 28 presidential elections.
Washington made lifting the punitive measures conditional on the release of all opponents, but Venezuela considered the action a form of “tutelage.”
The July 28 elections are shaping up to be the biggest challenge Chavismo has faced in its 25 years of rule, which began with Hugo Chávez. The regime’s party, the PSUV, aims to control all branches of government for six more years, but its base is divided, depleted and disillusioned.
Ten candidates will participate in the elections, including Maduro. The only candidate with a real chance of defeating the dictator is Edmundo González Urrutia, who represents the opposition coalition Plataforma Unitaria.
The political landscape in Venezuela remains complex, with a population suffering the consequences of a prolonged economic, social and humanitarian crisis. The resumption of dialogue with the United States could offer a window of opportunity to ease some of the sanctions and improve the situation, but it also raises questions about the Maduro regime’s true willingness to reach meaningful and lasting agreements.
Source: With information from AFP/AP/Editorial Staff
