On January 10, President Joe Biden will attend theto X Summit of North American Leadersat the National Palace of Mexico, where his counterpart Andrés Manuel López Obrador will receive him, together with Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.
The Under Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the Department of State, Brian Nichols, in an interview with the voice of americadescribed irregular migration as a “global crisis” and stated that this issue, along with the fight against drug trafficking, diversity and climate change will be the main points to be discussed at the Summit.
The senior official also analyzed the possibility of bringing post-trade closer to the Venezuelan and Nicaraguan governments.
VOA: President Joe Biden will be participating in this Northern Leaders summit. What specific issues and what agreements could we expect from this meeting?
Nichols: We are going to be working on several axes. Promote inclusion and diversity, address the challenge of climate change, address the health challenges we are facing.
Support and increase competitiveness between the countries of North America and the region in general, among other things, and collaborate in what is really a global crisis, regarding irregular migration. Security, the fight against drug trafficking, among other things.
VOA: The fight against drug trafficking will be one of the main issues, according to what the White House has said. What could really be expected from these talks, especially between Mexico and the United States?
Nichols: Between Mexico, the United States and Canada, we are all facing the scourge of fentanyl, which we have to face, working not only among the three of us, but also with other countries that supply the inputs to produce fentanyl and other countries that suffer from this scourge, such as the countries Europeans.
We are going to be talking about the collaboration between our police officers, in our intelligence agencies, the priority of attending to the health systems for people who are addicted to opiates.
VOA: Let’s move on to Venezuela. What is the legal framework for the National Assembly of Venezuela to have access to the properties of the Venezuelan State in the United States?
Nichols: We are extremely grateful for the leadership of Juan Guaidó, as interim president of Venezuela. His courage, his leading role in very difficult times is something that we highly value.
The National Assembly of Venezuela, elected in 2015, is the last instance democratically chosen by the Venezuelan people.”
The National Assembly of Venezuela, elected in 2015, is the last instance democratically chosen by the Venezuelan people. We respect your decisions and you have the power to safeguard the institutions, companies, assets of the State of Venezuela.
From our perspective, we’re going to be working with them and I understand they’re still discussing what form the interim government is going to take from now on. We are going to work closely with them to protect the assets of Venezuela and to support the dialogue process between the unitary platform and the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
VOA: But you yourself said in an interview that it’s a complicated legal issue and it’s so complicated that many people, even in the United States, don’t understand it. We would like you to help us understand what is the legal basis for you to have access to the values, to the assets in that assembly?
Nichols: There is the possibility of modifying the regulations that we have in the United States. There is our priority to recognize the government we want. That is something we can do and we recognize the powers of the National Assembly and we can work together with them and other partners in the international community.
We have always said that we are willing to modify our policies and sanctions, responding to the progress in the negotiations between the unitary platform and the Nicolás Maduro regime.
We are supporting and pushing towards political negotiations to hold free, transparent and accessible elections for the Venezuelan people, in the coming year.
VOA: So, are the regulations going to be modified so that the National Assembly has access to the assets?
Nichols: If required. We still do not know exactly how it will be taken because, I understand, that they are still debating that issue within the assembly at this time. When we have their final decisions, we will work with them to protect their assets in the United States and in other parts of the world.
VOA: It is said that the United States is looking for a way to get closer diplomatically to the government of Nicolás Maduro. Even with the possibility of opening a consular office in Caracas. What does that say?
Nichols: What is important for us is to promote a democratic change in Venezuela, that the Venezuelan people have the possibility to choose their leaders in a democratic way.
Among the measures that other countries can take, I believe that insisting that the Nicolás Maduro regime be part of the Inter-American Commission and Court for Human Rights, that they accept the recommendations of the electoral observation mission of the European Union and that respects the fundamental rights of people.
If you deal with the Maduro regime, push towards those ends, it seems appropriate to me…
VOA: But could the United States have diplomatic relations of some kind with the government of Nicolás Maduro?
Nichols: We will have to see profound changes and post-progress towards free and transparent elections in that country. I see it as far from the reality of this moment, but what is important for us is to support a democratic process within Venezuela.
VOA: Has there been a recent rapprochement between the United States and the government of Daniel Ortega to have a dialogue?
Nichols: The Ortega y Murillo regime has rejected the OAS missions to discuss the situation within the country, it has rejected the respective calls from the international community to release political prisoners. You have treated these people in a horrible way, you have prohibited medical care for them.
In short, it is an extremely serious situation; closing churches, expelling priests and ambassadors.
We are always ready to respond to positive steps and there is an opportunity for them to change their actions to respect the minimum rights of the people. But that starts with them, freeing political prisoners in their country.
We are willing to take advantage of the tools we have, such as sanctions -against members of the regime, and we have done so in hundreds of cases already- and also to use sanctions against sectors of the economy.
Watch the full interview here links.
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