Venezuela should fully lift sanctions
President Nicolás Maduro said on Wednesday that he was satisfied with the latest decisions taken by Washington, but hoped that the sanctions would be fully lifted.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during his speech in Caracas on November 30, 2022.
AFP
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday hailed the US approval of energy giant Chevron to operate in Venezuela as a step in the “right direction” but pleaded for the full lifting of sanctions on the country.
The licenses awarded by Washington to Chevron and other companies “undoubtedly go in the right direction, although not enough to demand Venezuela, which is to completely remove all unilateral coercive measures on the oil industry,” Nicolás Maduro told reporters. Conference.
The US government on Saturday authorized Chevron to partially resume its hydrocarbon extraction in Venezuela, allowing it to resume operations at four companies it owns with Venezuelan public company Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA). However, Chevron must ensure that the public company does not receive any revenue from its oil sales.
The recognition came immediately after an agreement was signed in Mexico between the Venezuelan government and the opposition to provide social projects (electricity, water and areas affected by floods) with three billion Venezuelan dollars frozen abroad following economic sanctions.
“Election without obstacles”
The United States and the international community, which did not recognize Nicolás Maduro’s re-election in 2018, were ignored by the opposition, which imposed significant economic sanctions on the country in hopes of ousting him from power. “The idea of taking Venezuela out of the global economic circuit is a bad idea, an extremist idea by Donald Trump, and they are paying the price because Venezuela is part of the global energy equation,” President Maduro said Wednesday.
“No matter who it hurts, we have to be there, we’re a big oil power and we’re going to be a gas power,” he added, days after the war in Ukraine began on February 24, when Washington, worried about rising oil prices, flew to Caracas for talks. He had sent the task.
In May, Washington had already allowed Chevron to “negotiate” its potential operations in Venezuela, representing the first violation of the 2019 Venezuelan oil embargo. Nicolás Maduro continues to call for the lifting of “763 criminal sanctions”. His country hoped the $3 billion released would arrive by December. He says 24 billion Venezuelan assets are “projected” abroad.
“Show favors”
These three billions are part of the agreement between the authorities and the opposition, which resumed negotiations in November, interrupted for more than a year, with the aim of recovering the country from the economic but above all political crisis. The opposition is specifically calling for a “free, fair, democratic and observable” vote for the 2024 presidential election.
The United States, European Union, United Kingdom and Canada welcomed the official resumption of talks in a joint statement on Saturday and called for “good will to reach a comprehensive agreement that is free and fair in 2024”. They also announced that they were “ready” to review the sanctions if “substantial progress is made”.
“We want elections without obstacles, without unilateral coercive measures, all of which will be removed and we can have new and beautiful elections,” President Maduro responded on Wednesday.
AFP
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