Maduro would ask Biden to eliminate the $15 million reward for his capture

Nicolás Maduro will try to get Joe Biden to remove the $15 million dollar bounty against him. This would be one of the most important issues raised by the Chavista delegation in the first meeting between the United States and Venezuela, which took place on Wednesday, July 3.

The initial meeting was held virtually and it was Jorge Rodríguez, head of Maduro’s representation, who reported brief details of the conversations on social media.

The parties are expected to meet in the coming days in Mexico, a country that has served as the venue for previous talks between Caracas and Washington, according to Time from Colombia.

One of the topics to be discussed is Caracas’ request for the Biden administration to eliminate the $15 million reward for Maduro’s capture.

The socialist announced last Monday the return to dialogue and assured that the government of Joe Bien insisted for two months on reestablishing negotiations, and after considering it, accepted, just when there are less than four weeks left for the presidential elections.

The Venezuelan opposition will attend the meetings with a small delegation, since on this occasion the main interlocutors will be the United States and Venezuela.

Nicolás Maduro announced that Jorge Rodríguez and Héctor Rodríguez will represent him, while the opposition will be represented by Gerardo Blyde and Luis Aquiles Moreno. But not all of the democratic opposition was informed about the resumption of talks, according to statements made by some leaders.

The US State Department has maintained a $15 million reward for the capture of Nicolás Maduro since 2020.

The United States is willing to engage in “open dialogue”

The United States reiterated on Wednesday its willingness to engage in dialogue with the Venezuelan regime.

“We are always open to dialogue. I have said this many times,” said Brian Nichols, the State Department’s head of Latin America, in a telephone press conference, quoted by the Efe news agency.

Nichols, along with the White House, acts as one of the United States’ main interlocutors with both the Maduro government and the democratic opposition.

Since 2022, both countries have maintained regular contacts, both in person and by telephone, to discuss the lifting of sanctions and the holding of elections in Venezuela.

Chavismo demands the unconditional lifting of all sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela, while the Joe Biden administration insists that the elections on July 28 must be “competitive and inclusive.”

In October last year, the United States lifted sanctions on Venezuelan oil, a measure it reversed six months later due to the disqualification of the main opposition presidential candidate María Corina Machado.

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