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Venezuela’s power and opposition signed “a second partial agreement on social protection” in Mexico on Saturday at the end of negotiations closely followed by the United States, France, Spain, Norway, Mexico and Colombia.
After 15 months of freezing, the negotiations are successful. The Venezuelan power and the opposition signed a “second partial agreement on social protection” on Saturday 26 November after talks in Mexico, followed closely by Washington, Paris, Madrid, Oslo and Bogota. The agreement prompted the United States to take a first step towards easing the sanctions imposed on the South American country.
Representatives of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition signed this agreement under the terms of negotiations which represent “the hope for all of Latin America” and “the triumph of politics”, welcomed Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.
The dialogue on Venezuela was resumed and the Second Agreement was signed between the government and the opposition of that fraternal country. It is a triumph of politics and merit to be recognized by the participants. Mexico is your home. Congratulations !! Good news for the Venezuelan people. pic.twitter.com/lstOJHLhLB
— Marcelo Ebrard (@m_ebrard) November 26, 2022
Soon after, the US applauded the deal, “an important step in the right direction,” according to a senior US official. “We join the international community in welcoming the resumption of negotiations,” said the senior official, who requested anonymity.
Washington allows Chevron to resume operations in Venezuela
The deal should allow for further reductions in US sanctions against the Caracas regime. Washington took another step in that direction soon after the deal was announced, with the Treasury Department allowing oil giant Chevron to partially resume oil drilling operations in the country. This with its joint venture held in this country and in partnership with the public company Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA). However, Chevron must ensure that “PdVSA does not receive revenue from Chevron’s oil sales.”
In May, Washington had already allowed Chevron to “negotiate the terms of potential future business in Venezuela,” which was a first violation of the Venezuelan oil embargo imposed by Washington in 2019 in hopes of ousting Nicolas Maduro and his socialist regime.
Suspended for 15 months, negotiations resumed after the intervention of Colombia and the United States. The Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, Brian Nichols, had hoped that the power and the opposition would agree to remedy the “humanitarian challenges” and guarantee “free and fair elections”.
French President Emmanuel Macron, also involved in the resumption of talks, welcomed “excellent news”, offering his support to obtain “concrete results”.
The resumption of dialogue was announced by leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who returned to Caracas after coming to power this year. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has also offered that Madrid play a role “if the Venezuelans want it”.
Other sanctions ‘remain in effect’
Venezuela is facing US-European sanctions, including an oil embargo from Washington, initially to oust President Nicolas Maduro from power, while exacerbating the economic crisis affecting Venezuela without achieving the expected political results.
Seven million Venezuelans have fled their country due to the political and economic crisis, especially after the death of Hugo Chavez in 2013.
Talks resumed in May, with some US sanctions easing, particularly as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its effects on oil prices, which led the United States to reconsider its position in the Compare Caracas.
However, a senior US administration official clarified that all other sanctions “remain in effect and the United States continues to enforce them vigorously and hold accountable anyone who violates US law, engages in corruption, or fails to comply with the state of law in Venezuela”.
The US government has publicly admitted that Venezuelan hydrocarbons could be useful on the international market. The United States is looking for new hydrocarbon resources to compensate for the loss of Russian crude oil following the sanctions in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Venezuela has some of the largest oil reserves in the world, according to experts.
No consensus on 2024 elections
In Venezuela, President Maduro is calling for the lifting of economic sanctions. For his part, the Venezuelan opposition is asking for solutions to the “humanitarian crisis”, “respect for human rights” and guarantees for “free and observable elections”, the Unitary Platform underlined in a statement on Thursday 24 November.
There is no consensus on these elections, which are expected to take place in 2024, according to a source close to the issue consulted by AFP on Thursday. The opposition accuses Nicolas Maduro of being re-elected in 2018 fraudulently.
Poverty affects eight out of ten people in Venezuela, according to the Encovi national survey on living conditions published earlier this month.
The dialogue had opened in August 2021 in Mexico City, after failed attempts in 2018 and 2019. Nicolas Maduro suspended the talks two months later, following the extradition to the United States of Alex Saab, a Venezuelan businessman close to power tried for money laundering.
(with AFP)
