Washington, May 14, 2022 (AFP) – A group of US congressmen, made up of 18 Democrats from the party’s most progressive wing, sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to lift sanctions on Venezuela and continue dialogue with the government. Nicolas Maduro’s photo.
The May 10 letter, introduced by members of the House of Representatives (deputies) Raúl Grijalva and Jesús “Chuy” García, states that the punitive measures implemented by the Republican Donald Trump administration against Venezuela only serve to “worse” the United States. This is once the humanitarian crisis in oil power.
The text also urges Biden to continue the White House’s “constructive commitment” to Venezuela, after a March trip by senior officials from Washington to Caracas allowed the release of two Americans held in the southern country for years. Like Maduro’s obvious willingness to restart dialogue with the opposition. These talks have been suspended since October 2021.
“It is clear that the broad sanctions did not achieve their purpose,” members of Congress said.
“In light of this and the dire human costs incurred, we urge you to lift all US financial and industry sanctions that are exacerbating the humanitarian situation, without hindering or delaying the urgent action needed to shift the US economy away from fossil fuels.” , they added.
The signatories of the letter include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal and Rashida Tlaib, who is known for her leftist views.
In a letter released Friday (May 12th), Rubio urged Biden to “make no change in US policy as long as Maduro continues to block free and fair elections.”
The United States and Venezuela broke off diplomatic relations in early 2019 after Maduro was re-elected in a controversial election.
Washington then recognized the head of the legislature, opposition Juan Guaidó, as interim president, and imposed a series of sanctions, including a de facto embargo on Venezuelan oil, in effect since April 2019, to remove Maduro from office.
Rubio, one of the architects of Trump’s policy of maximum pressure against Maduro, is also asking Biden to “publicly reaffirm” the recognition of Guaido. And he denounced the dialogues of the American delegation in Caracas, led by Juan González, Biden’s adviser to the Americas on the National Security Council, for considering it “stupid”.
The US delegation’s visit to Venezuela comes after Biden banned the import of Russian oil for the invasion of Ukraine. In this context, the White House said that “energy security” is part of the discussions in Caracas.
This sparked speculation that the United States might continue to buy Venezuelan crude, which the White House later denied.
The United States and Venezuela broke off diplomatic relations in early 2019 after Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, assumed a second term following elections considered fraudulent by the opposition and nearly 50 countries.
Washington then imposed a series of sanctions to force Maduro out, including a “de facto” embargo on Venezuelan oil since April 2019.
In March of this year, influential senators such as Democrat Bob Menendez and Republican Marco Rubio criticized Biden’s rapprochement with Caracas and were firmly opposed to transforming into the oil “dictator” Maduro.
In addition to being investigated for crimes against humanity, Maduro was charged with “narcoterrorism” by the US Justice in March 2020. US authorities are offering a $15 million reward for him.
In August 2021, Grijalva, García and 17 other members of the House of Representatives wrote a letter to Foreign Minister Antony Blinken advocating dialogue with the Maduro government and the easing of sanctions that were “adverse and harmful”.
source: Noticias
