Colombian President Gustavo Petro is finalizing plans to host a international summit aimed at reigniting negotiations between the embattled government of Venezuela and his opposition parties, a move that will put him at the forefront of a global push to resolve the country’s political crisis before next year’s presidential election.
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Petro will formally invite officials from Latin America, Europe and the United States to attend the meeting after the Easter holiday, the Colombian Foreign Ministry said. The conference in Bogota it could happen as soon as this month, according to people with direct knowledge of the plans.
Both sides in Venezuela, as well as Norway, which has mediated previous talks, have given the idea a green light, the people said. Petro and the Colombian government initially announced plans for the conference in late March. However, the details and timing of the meeting, as well as the support of key stakeholders, have not been previously reported.
The event will seek to end a four-month stalemate between the government of President Nicolás Maduro and opposition parties. On-and-off talks between the two sides stalled again after the latest round of negotiations in November, amid calls from Maduro that the $3.1 billion humanitarian deal reached last year remains unfulfilled.
So far, the Venezuelan funds he wants to release remain frozen. Petro wants the meeting to build “the road map” for an “effective political dialogue” before the 2024 presidential election, he said in a tweet last week.
The opposition primariesThey are scheduled for October. But the two sides have yet to reach agreements on critical electoral conditions for next year’s contest. A successful resumption of talks would count as a major victory for Petro, who has yet to receive a formal invitation to visit the White House, even as the Colombian government is often seen as an unofficial conduit between the United States and Maduro.
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The Biden Administration has pushed for renew negotiations for months, but little progress has been made. Stalin González, a member of the Venezuelan opposition delegation, welcomed both Petro’s initiative and the world’s interest in finding a way out of the political crisis that is engulfing the country under Maduro’s rule. “You have to give it the sense of urgency that this deserves, 2024 is just around the corner,” said González.
“This is what you are looking for is to help the existing negotiation process continue to workOpposition parties are not expected to attend the conference, but members of the delegation could hold a separate meeting with Petro before it begins, Gonzalez said.
The Colombian government confirmed Petro’s intention to meet directly with members of the opposition, but has not yet said if or when a meeting will take place. He said the conference was a “key issue” of the most recent bilateral meeting between Petro and Maduro in Caracas on March 23.
The Venezuelan government has not publicly discussed the conference and did not respond to a request for comment.
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Gustavo Petro and Nicolás Maduro.
Petro has become a strong ally of Maduro and has met his neighboring leader four times since the reign of violence reignited.The formal political relationship between Colombia and Venezuela last August.
among world leadersOnly Chilean President Gabriel Boric has met with Petro more frequently. Once a pariah, Maduro has slowly re-emerged on the international stage after opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s failure to oust him caused support to fade.
Petro opened a direct channel with the Venezuelan opposition after the dissolution of Guaidó’s so-called interim government in January, people with direct knowledge of the situation said. Any conclusion reached in the meetingss will then be taken to the oppositionthe people said.
From the beginning of the planning process, The Colombian government has discussed the idea with Norway, which is mediating in the negotiations in Mexicosaid people familiar with the situation. Colombian officials also briefed US authorities on the plan during a recent high-level visit to Washington, the people said.
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Neither the Norwegian diplomatic representative in Venezuela nor the US responded to requests for comment. “We are willing to participate,” US Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols said in a televised interview after Petro’s announcement of the plans. “We are concerned about the situation of the Venezuelan people.” The EU is also open to the idea, said Josep Borrell, head of foreign policy.
“All initiatives that promote a process of normalization and democratization of life in Venezuela are welcome.“, he said, according to Europa Press. The Venezuelan government recently said that it will seek that the US and Europe lift all remaining sanctions before returning to the table, which is added to a list of conditions that already included the implementation of the agreement A date for the conference has not been set, but it will most likely take place in mid-April, people familiar with the plans said.
Bloomberg
