“Every dialogue event happens because those aggressive elements (sanctions) are lifted,” says Jorge Rodríguez
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The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, explained this Friday, at the end of the Forum for Peace in Paris promoted by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, that there is “a closer rapprochement” between the Venezuelan government and the opposition “towards political agreements and social”.
In this sense, he has indicated, at the end of the meeting in Paris, which has brought together representatives of the Venezuelan Government and the opposition, that there is “undoubtedly” progress and development at the negotiating tables, although he has ruled out a date for resume dialogue in Mexico. “Here we are not talking about specific dates,” he indicated, adding that an agreement has not been signed either.
“We are not going to make decisions that the parties must make,” he stressed, adding that this meeting was based on “recognizing that the Venezuelan political conflict has not brought a violent outcome”, which is a “positive aspect” in itself same.
What Petro has proposed during the meeting with the parties is a de-escalation of the political conflict, in terms of “Venezuela’s entry into the Human Rights System, a general amnesty, an unblocking of the economy or elections in 2024.
Asked about the possible amnesty, the Colombian president explained that “political prisoners” in Venezuela have to be released regardless of their political affinity and regardless of whether or not they are Chavistas.
The Colombian president has also said, in addition, that “an agreement in Mexico has to do with guarantees for all those who participate in the elections in 2024”, so that the expression in the elections is “of the Venezuelan people”.
“I proposed that the unlocking of the Venezuelan economy be part of a humanitarian measure in favor of millions of people who suffered sexual slavery (…) child slavery,” he explained at a press conference after the meeting.
For his part, after the meeting, the president of the Chavista National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, assured before the microphones of the Venezuelan television network “that progress has been made” in the possibility of reaching a “social agreement.”
“We have been very frank. We have said that we are in the best disposition to advance in a general agreement and that this disposition happens because the international community truly understands, that with a revolver to the head, (…) any dialogue event happens because those aggressive elements (the sanctions) are lifted,” he specified.
Finally, Rodríguez explained that, within the framework of the Forum for Peace in Paris, in the presence of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his Colombian counterparts, Gustavo Petro, and Argentine, Alberto Fernández, as well as the Norwegian representative, they have found ” three friends”: the Government of France, the Government of Argentina and the Government of Colombia.
French President Emmanuel Macron held a trilateral meeting this Friday with his Colombian and Argentine counterparts, Gustavo Petro and Alberto Fernández, respectively, to promote the negotiations started in Mexico between the Venezuelan government and the opposition, which has been represented by Gerardo Glyde.
“The presidents of France, Colombia and Argentina have expressed their full support for the resumption of the inter-Venezuelan negotiation process as the only way to allow a way out of a deep crisis that has led millions of Venezuelans to leave their country”, stressed the Elysee it’s a statement.
In this sense, they have encouraged to continue with the negotiations to reach agreements in the humanitarian and political field. “They praised Norway’s role as a facilitator of the inter-Vezuelan political dialogue,” she added.
What is sought with this first contact, they maintain from the Elysee, is to “create a dynamic for the resumption” of the dialogue process in Mexico, suspended since October 2021 and sponsored by the host country and Norway. Said process obtained very limited results, focused mainly on the humanitarian situation in the country.
In the Élysée they emphasize that there has been no change in position, that the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, is still not recognized as president of Venezuela since his re-election in 2020, but also that the French president has been defending the need for dialogue ever since.
Maduro “is no longer the legitimate president” but it is with him and his regime “with whom we must have a dialogue and with whom we are going to try to push for the resumption of negotiations”, they point out, stressing that in all these years the Government French has maintained contacts with both the government and the opposition and maintains its Embassy in Caracas open.
In addition, Paris has been the scene of meetings between Rodríguez and Blyde with the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, first separately and then in a tripartite meeting, diplomatic sources have informed Europa Press.
