The Paris Forum on Peace began this Friday with the challenge of promoting behind-the-scenes negotiations between the Venezuelan government and opposition. French President Emmanuel Macron called for it to be resumed “as soon as possible”.
“Venezuelans and other Latin American countries asked us if the forum could host this year a dialogue between these Venezuelan parties that until now had not spoken”, assured the president of the event, Pascal Lamy.
Macron, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Argentine Alberto Fernández, “will launch that dialogue today,” said Lamy, for whom its result will depend on what the Venezuelan delegates have.
The fifth edition of this forum has a South American accent with the presence of the presidents of Colombia and Argentina, as well as a video speech by the elected Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Although Macron promoted the event in 2018 to think about world governance and multilateralism, he also seeks to “offer a space for dialogue to prevent conflicts”, as is the case with the crisis in Venezuela.
According to reports, it seeks to create a dynamic so that the process in Mexico can be resumed. Venezuela froze it in October 2021 after the extradition to the United States of Alex Saab, a close businessman.
“Negotiations between the regime and the opposition must resume as soon as possible in Mexico, starting with a humanitarian agreement and then, I hope, with political guarantees,” said the French leader upon receiving his Argentine counterpart.
A private meeting between the Venezuelan delegations is expected, according to those familiar with the case. Macron, Petro and Fernández must also hold a meeting on Venezuela.
