By Deutsche Welle
03 Jul 2024, 01:34 AM EDT
The US government said that “democratic change will not be easy in Venezuela,” a day after Caracas announced the imminent resumption of dialogue with Washington, less than a month before the presidential elections.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced that “next Wednesday the talks” with the United States, which were launched last year in Qatar, will resume. He did not say where or specify the content, but neither did the United States.
“I’m not going to go into the details,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters at a daily briefing.
“In the context of Venezuela, you’ve heard us say this before, we, of course, welcome dialogue and good faith, and we support the desire of the Venezuelan people to hold competitive and inclusive elections on July 28,” he said.
But “we are clear that democratic change will not be easy and certainly requires a serious commitment,” he added.
For his part, Maduro said: “For two consecutive months, the United States government has proposed to me to reestablish talks and direct dialogue. After reflecting for this time, I have decided to accept. Next Wednesday, talks with the United States will restart,” the socialist declared in his weekly television program.
Patel: “Barbados agreement is the best path” to democracy
The spokesman was very cautious in his reaction to Maduro’s announcement, limiting himself to emphasizing the line that the United States has maintained until now.
“I am not going to try to get inside Maduro’s head,” he said, but “the full implementation of the Barbados agreement is the best way to restore the democracy that Venezuelans deserve, improve economic and humanitarian conditions and address the migration crisis.”
Last year’s U.S.-Venezuela talks took place in parallel to a dialogue between the Venezuelan government and opposition in Barbados to define the conditions for elections in which Maduro is seeking a third term.
In return for the Barbados agreement, the US government relaxed the oil embargo, but ended up reimposing sanctions due to the disqualification of the main opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Russian ships dock in Venezuela
A group of Russian military vessels arrived on the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday, after passing through Cuba. Comprising the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, the nuclear submarine Kazan, an oil tanker and a rescue tug, the naval group previously carried out maritime exercises in the Atlantic.
The ships are making a stop of several days on the Venezuelan coast. During their stay, the crew members plan to rest and see local sights. They will then depart to complete the remaining tasks in the Atlantic as planned.
The Northern Fleet ships left Russia on May 17. Their main tasks were to show the flag and ensure naval presence in operationally important areas of the Far Ocean Zone.
Keep reading:
- The United States urged Maduro to engage in dialogue “in good faith”
- Maduro to resume direct dialogue with the United States, one month before Venezuelan elections
- Venezuela conducts rehearsal for July presidential elections