The rapprochement between the United States and Venezuela has promoted a return to negotiations that began in Mexico in 2021 between the government of Nicolás Maduro and the opposition represented by the Unity Platform and had been stalled for a year. The executive will agree to return to talks, Venezuelan media Estudio Cocuyo announced and this newspaper was able to confirm. Since last year, envoys from Caracas and Washington have established secret contacts in Doha, which have become the main channel of dialogue with Maduro, seeking agreements aimed at resolving Venezuela’s ongoing political conflict.
The United States is increasing pressure to commit to a free and fair presidential election, for which a date has not yet been set, but other parts have been postponed, suggesting some agreement has been reached. This week, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez released photos of her meeting with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha, as evidence of the meetings hosted by the Arab country. Last week, the United States and Venezuela, each with their own narratives, announced the resumption of flights to Caracas to deport undocumented Venezuelan migrants. One spoke of expulsion, the other of repatriation. Chavismo, in turn, is pushing hard for the lifting of the sectoral and individual sanctions imposed by the Ministry of Finance against PDVSA, which have made it difficult for the country to market its crude oil and consequently affected its finances. But it is not clear, as Portal has warned, whether any easing of sanctions would come immediately after negotiations resume in Mexico or whether major gestures from the Chavista government would have to be awaited to bear fruit.
Chavismo needs funding to improve its situation before the presidential elections, at a time when the economy is contracting again after the discreet signs of life it showed last year. The inflation disease will also guarantee a triple-digit finish in 2023 and growth forecasts have been lowered. On the streets, people’s biggest concern remains getting food home, and day laborers and neighbors are protesting against precarious salaries and public services in a country experiencing power outages, water shortages and hunger.
We thank His Royal Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, @TamimBinHamadfor welcoming us during our stay in your country. We bring greetings from the President. @NicolasMaduro and the Venezuelan people. At this friendly meeting we reaffirmed our intention to strengthen relations between… pic.twitter.com/NhsPpzKzEn
— Delcy Rodríguez (@delcyrodriguezv) October 9, 2023
The United States has granted some licenses, such as those granted to Chevron and European companies Eni and Repsol, to sell Venezuelan crude oil to pay off the state oil company’s debts to foreign companies. Portal assures that progress has been made in these discussions to extend the same regulation to other companies that have requested these exemptions from the US authorities. According to the agency, one of the companies that would receive the permits would be the French company Maurel & Prom.
There was little progress on the political and social front. In November last year, the two parties signed an agreement in Mexico to use Venezuelan money frozen in accounts abroad for humanitarian needs in the country through a fund managed by the United Nations, but it did not materialize. For two years, the opposition has insisted on the release of prisoners and political activists – more than 200 – and on guarantees for the presidential elections scheduled for 2024, such as lifting the disqualification of candidates.
Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without restrictions.
Subscribe to
That point took on another dimension this week when primary candidate Henrique Capriles decided to resign, seeing his own disqualification as an insurmountable obstacle and asking to build a “viable” candidacy to replace Maduro in 2024. It is María Corina Machado, who was narrowly disqualified. has entered the primary race far outstripping the other candidates and is certain to garner the most votes on October 22nd when voting takes place, which will be decided two weeks after it closes. covers a blanket of uncertainty.
Follow all international information on Facebook and Xor in our weekly newsletter.