CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Senior US government officials have traveled quietly to Caracas in a last-ditch attempt to take detained Americans home and rebuild relations with the US oil giant as it lengthens the war in Ukraine, forcing the US to recalibrate other foreign policies. targets.
A U.S. State Department spokesman described the trip as a welfare visit focused on the safety of several U.S. citizens detained in Caracas, including a group of Houston-based oil executives from Citgo, jailed ago. more than four years. The delegation includes Roger Carstens, the presidential special envoy for hostage affairs, as well as Ambassador James Story, who heads the U.S. government’s Venezuelan Affairs Unit outside neighboring Colombia.
President Nicolás Maduro confirmed the visit during televised statements, saying the delegation will meet with a trusted ally, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, to “continue the bilateral agenda between the U.S. government and the government of Venezuela “.
The visit follows a surprise trip in March by the two officials and Juan González, director of the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere. This was the first White House trip to the county in more than two decades.
That trip led to the release of two American citizens whom the U.S. unjustly detained and Maduro’s promise to start talks with his opponents. Months earlier, he had suspended negotiations, led by Norwegian diplomats in Mexico, after a key ally was extradited to the U.S. on money laundering charges.
It is unclear what else officials want to achieve during the mission. But it is likely that at the top of the list is Maduro’s demand that the United States lift the crippling oil sanctions that have exacerbated the hardships of what was once the most prosperous nation in South America.
Arriving in Caracas, Story met for two hours with Juan Guaidó, according to someone close to the US-backed opposition leader. The two discussed efforts to boost negotiations in Mexico, according to the person on condition of anonymity to talk about the private meeting.
Since the March trip, both the Biden administration and the socialist government of Venezuela have shown a willingness to participate after years of hostilities between Washington and Caracas over the re-election of Maduro in 2018, which was affected by irregularities. . The United States and other nations withdrew Maduro’s recognition after those elections, and instead recognized Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
Although negotiations between Maduro and the opposition have yet to resume, the United States then renewed a license so that oil companies, including Chevron, could continue to perform only basic maintenance of wells operating in conjunction with the state oil giant. of Venezuela PDVSA.
The White House also lifted the sanctions imposed in 2017 against First Lady Cilia Flores ’nephew, who at the time was accused of facilitating corruption while he was a senior PDVSA official.
The trip follows a public plea to the Biden administration of the family of Matthew Heath, a former U.S. Marine arrested nearly two years ago for what the U.S. considers false terrorism allegations. Heath’s family earlier this month called on the administration to take urgent steps to save his life after what they said was a suicide attempt, which the AP has not been able to verify.
The United States is also interested in taking advantage of Venezuela’s great oil wealth, as the war in Ukraine has led to a 50% rise in the price of oil that is fueling the worst inflation in decades.
Maduro during his televised statements on Monday alluded to statements by an official close to French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged the United States to ease sanctions on Venezuela and Iran to offset rising oil prices . The comments were made on the sidelines of a meeting of Group of Seven leaders in Germany.
Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, but production has plummeted over the past decade as a result of falling prices, mismanagement and U.S. sanctions. Its presence in the world oil market is marginal today and any attempt to boost production would take time to materialize.
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Goodman reported from Cleveland, Ohio.