Venezuela’s opposition coalition welcomes President Maduro’s plan to jumpstart dialogue with the US
Caracas, Venezuela — Venezuela’s main opposition coalition on Tuesday welcomed President Nicolas Maduro’s announcement the day before of his intentions to initiate negotiations with the United States this week.
The executive secretary of the US-backed Unitary Platform coalition, Omar Barboza, told reporters that the alliance sees Maduro’s statement on Monday and his openness to dialogue just weeks before Venezuela’s long-awaited presidential election as a positive sign.
The coalition negotiators are ready to engage in bilateral talks if necessary, in the interest of the “electoral process and respect for democratic guarantees,” Barboza said.
“Differences must be resolved peacefully, through dialogue,” Barboza told reporters.
The US has not confirmed any planned negotiations with the government of Maduro, who said talks with the Biden administration would resume on Wednesday. He described the dialogue as “urgent” on his weekly television show.
Maduro has held parallel talks with the Biden administration and the opposition coalition for about two years to free Venezuela from economic sanctions that have cut the oil-dependent country off from Western markets, contributing to a complex crisis that began more than a decade ago. He has also sought to regain access to billions in assets frozen abroad.
For about two years, the talks have been moving along in fits and starts. Maduro has released unjustly held U.S. citizens and some political prisoners, while also promising to work with Barboza’s coalition to facilitate free and fair elections this year.
Maduro’s agreement last year to work on election conditions earned Venezuela broad relief from sanctions on the state’s oil, gas and mining sectors. But the Biden administration ended the relief earlier this year after Maduro reneged on his pledge to work with the opposition and stepped up a crackdown on opponents, while the meteoric rise of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado cast a shadow over his re-election prospects.
The July 28 elections seem like a the biggest challenge for Venezuela’s ruling party has faced challenges in its 25-year dominance that began when the fiery Hugo Chávez became president. The party wants to maintain its absolute control for another six years, but its base is divided and disillusioned by the social, economic and political crises of the past 11 years — Maduro’s entire presidency.
While Washington has not confirmed any planned talks, the US National Security Council said Tuesday that the Biden administration continues to welcome good faith dialogue with Maduro but is clear that “democratic change will not be easy and requires serious commitment.”
The agency said the US remains committed to supporting the will of the Venezuelan people and “a path to democratic governance through competitive and inclusive elections.”
“I have been receiving the proposal from the U.S. government for two consecutive months to resume talks and lead the dialogue,” Maduro said on the TV show. “After thinking about it for two months, I accepted it.”
He added that the resumption of talks on Wednesday would focus on following up on the agreements signed in Qatar, where Venezuela and the US have held talks in the past“to restore the conditions of urgent dialogue.”