America

The US says that “incentives” to Maduro will end “eventually”, rules out new sanctions

The US says that "incentives" to Maduro will end "eventually", rules out new sanctions

The intention of the US government to negotiate the lifting of sanctions to Venezuela, which has been tied to the holding of free elections in the country in 2024, would have an expiration time, according to the White House announced this Thursday.

Juan González, special assistant to President Joe Biden, told the voice of america that, although the policy towards Venezuela “remains the same”, there is no “indefinite window” for said negotiation.

“Here what we are trying to create are incentives for them to take a different route. But the window is one that is going to close eventually,” said the White House director for hemispheric affairs.

González pointed out that, after the disqualification of María Corina Machado“electoral experts would see that at a certain point it is going to be very difficult to have a free and fair election.”

Meanwhile, according to the official, the administration continues to “support any conversation that exists between the unitary platform and the de facto government” to ensure a return to the dialogue table in Mexico City. The last time both delegations met in the Mexican capital was at the end of November of last year.

Machado, a candidate for the opposition primary in Venezuela, was disqualified by the Comptroller General’s Office from running for popularly elected positions for 15 years. He argued she is based on the support of the opponent of US sanctions.

New sanctions are ruled out

Given the possibility that the US imposes more sanctions on the South American country, González assured that the package of measures against Venezuela is “one of the most robust in the world.” He believes that adding others “is not going to change the status quo”.

The interest of the Biden Administration, according to the official, is that the conditions exist for a “free and fair electoral environment” in Venezuela, which would even benefit countries like Colombia, “which have been impacted by the millions of Venezuelans who have fled from the country”.

González added that it would be “unfortunate” if negotiations with Venezuela were not achieved “because last year around a million Venezuelans left that country due to political, economic and security situations.”

The Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, considered at the beginning of July “deeply unfortunate” the disqualification of Machado. He affirmed that the measure sends “the opposite message” that the Venezuelan government is willing to move “down that path of free and fair elections.”

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