Francisco Palmieri, US ambassador to Venezuela, considers that there were challenges to find common ground in the international conference. He said it is essential that the opposition and the Venezuelan government return to negotiate in Mexico.
The new ambassador of the United States (USA) to Venezuela, Francisco Palmieri, considers that the administration of Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition should return to the negotiating table in Mexico and continue talking.
In an interview granted to RCNPalmieri believes that Colombia managed to promote, through the international conference on Venezuela, the “challenge” behind it to find common ground with the 20 countries that participated in it.
The meetings in Mexico have been stopped since November 2022 when it was possible to negotiate the release of 3.2 billion dollars for a trust, managed by the UN, in order to carry out projects that the State has in the field of health and education.
The international conference, which was held in Bogotá last April 25th, reached important consensuses such as the need to establish a schedule for “free and transparent elections”, as well as the lifting of sanctions against Venezuela, which are proposed to be done progressively as progress is seen.
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They also agreed that the continuation of the negotiation between Venezuelan political factors, paralyzed since November 2022 and mediated by the Kingdom of Norway, must be accompanied “with the acceleration of the implementation of the Social Fund.”
Regarding the electoral calendar, it was explained that the elections must generate “full guarantees for all Venezuelan actors”, and in addition, the recommendations of the 2021 European Union Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) must be taken into account.
After the international conference it became known that the US would do nothing to stop the auction of shares of the Citgo company, which would make it easier for creditors to have it and collect part of what is owed to it; Therefore, the Venezuelan authorities again set conditions to return to Mexico such as, in addition to releasing the money for the Social Fund, the lifting of the sanctions; return the assets and drop the investigations at the International Criminal Court.
Palmieri, the current US ambassador to Colombia, was appointed by the State Department of his country to assume from the May 10 the Venezuelan Affairs Unit, created since 2019 when Caracas formally broke relations with Washington after the recognition that Juan Guaidó was then made as interim president.
In this way, he replaces the outgoing ambassador James Story in office.
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