Washington. US President Joe Biden does not want a dialogue with the Venezuelan government. This was emphasized by the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ned Price, at a press conference. Any “direct contact” with President Niolás Maduro is out of the question; the US government regards him as a “dictator”.
“The primary goal of the Biden Harris administration is to support a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela through free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections,” said Price.
For its part, after Biden’s election victory in November, Venezuela’s government signaled its willingness to engage in a dialogue “on the basis of respect and cooperation” and to reach agreements with the new US administration.
Price first outlined the Biden administration’s foreign policy stance towards Venezuela and reiterated Washington’s support for opposition leader Juan Guaidó: “The US continues to recognize the 2015 National Assembly as the last remaining democratic institution in Venezuela and, in line with it, the person elected by the National Assembly. .. as interim president of Venezuela, “he told media representatives.
When asked about Guaido’s dwindling international support and whether the Biden administration really saw him as the best person to lead the country’s opposition, Price evaded, saying that the US would have “partners and allies” like the Organization of American States and the Lima Group work together.
The European Union revised its position on Guaidó in January and no longer recognizes him as “interim president”.
While Price’s comments dispel suspicions that Biden will deviate from his predecessor’s policy towards Venezuela, it is still unclear whether his administration will modify Donald Trump’s far-reaching sanctions against the country’s economy, especially the oil industry becomes.
In early February, the US Treasury Department issued a license lifting the sanctions imposed on Venezuela for most of the transactions required to operate the country’s ports and airports (amerika21 reported). This move was seen by some observers as an indication that the Biden administration would ease the sanctions.
However, Price expressed no intention of the US to reverse unilateral punitive measures and said it would continue to target “regime officials and cronies involved in corruption and human rights abuses.”
The sanctions are widely viewed as devastating to the country’s economy and caused at least 40,000 deaths between 2017 and 2018. The Maduro government has filed a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court, arguing that the US blockade is a “crime against humanity”.
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