The former president of the Spanish Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, is in Caracas to meet with the president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, in the context of the Program for Democratic Coexistence and Peace.
“We have ahead of us the horizon of rediscovering the country, of reconciling, of institutional reforms, of political dialogue, and it must be society itself that sets the pace,” he stated in statements to the press.
Zapatero stressed that he hopes the process will lead to forgiveness and reconciliation, although he warned that “forgetting cannot exist.” His visit coincides with the parliamentary debate on the approval of an amnesty law for imprisoned politicians of the last 27 years, an initiative that seeks to consolidate democratic coexistence.
“A country is greater when we put forgiveness and reconciliation as ideals,” he added. Zapatero expressed that Venezuela is going through a moment of deep hope, a turning point that opens the doors to the definitive reconstruction of the country, supported by memory, forgiveness and the will to meet.
For his part, the coordinator of the Program for Democratic Coexistence and Peace, Ernesto Villegas, expressed gratitude for the “experience, sensitivity and contribution” of the former president of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, whose support has been fundamental to strengthen this new stage of fruitful dialogue that the nation is experiencing.
The program promoted by the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, seeks to convene a “true political dialogue” that includes both coincident and divergent sectors. The president of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, recently reported that meetings have already been held with opposition parties.
Zapatero has played a key role in negotiation processes and releases in Venezuela. At the beginning of January, Delcy Rodríguez publicly thanked the good offices of the former Spanish president and the Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after the release of “a significant number of people.”
During his visit, Zapatero expressed his support for the president in charge: “I see the best environment since the last ten years and I speak with people from the opposition, of course with the Government. I have great confidence in Delcy Rodríguez.” The former president assured that the country is experiencing a moment of “founded hope” and that Venezuelan society is aware of the historical moment it is going through.
This first meeting with some members of the Program for Democratic Coexistence and Peace took place in the spaces of the Rómulo Gallegos Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (Celarg), in Caracas.
