The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has presented this Tuesday a plan for the exit of the political crisis in Venezuela. The "Democratic Framework for Venezuela" defended by the Donald Trump Government consists of both Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, the interim president recognized by fifty countries, "stand aside" so that the National Assembly appoints a Council of Transitional government, which is responsible for organizing a presidential election in the next six to eight months. In turn, Washington will lift all sanctions against the regime if foreign security forces withdraw from the South American country. "Let's hope that Maduro takes this proposal as something serious," Pompeo said.
The launch of the plan coincides with a moment of maximum alert in Caracas, which faces the emergency of the Covid-19 without resources and a health system decimated by mismanagement. The State Department's special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, explained that the fall in oil prices and the coronavirus “have deepened” the Venezuelan crisis, and for this reason it is necessary to implement the plan, according to a column published by opinion in The Wall Street Journal. In addition, he clarified that the United States "does not support any particular political party" in Venezuela.
"We have made it clear all along that Nicolás Maduro will never govern Venezuela again," Pompeo told reporters. Abrams later claimed, in a conference call, that the United States would accept any outcome of a free election, although he remarked that he did not believe Maduro could win. "There is no possible way for Nicolás Maduro to remain in power if Venezuelans choose their own destiny and choose their own leaders," he said.
The plan towards a "democratic transition" presented by Washington was coordinated jointly with Guaidó, "the most popular politician in Venezuela," as described by Pompeo. The proposal's agenda is divided into 14 points, detailing what sanctions the United States will lift as the schedule is met. The first step is the return of the members of the National Assembly and the Supreme Court of Justice, restore the immunity of the deputies and dissolve the National Constituent Assembly. With this accomplished, the US will withdraw sanctions on ANC members.
This move by Washington collides, however, with Maduro's refusal. The Minister of Foreign Relations, Jorge Arreaza, made it clear that "Venezuela is a free country [...] that does not accept and will never accept any tutelage, from any foreign government." Through a statement and stated that "it is the Trump Administration that must step aside by lifting unilateral coercive measures." At the same time, Guaidó was celebrating the decision. "I contacted Secretary Pompeo to thank the US for his support. to the formation of an Emergency Government and State Council to resolve the crisis. It is time to grow: we are taking the right steps to save Venezuela, "he said on Twitter.
Less than a week ago, the US government filed a criminal charge against Maduro , blaming him for international drug trafficking. Attorney General William Barr announced "rewards for information that can lead to the arrest and detention" of Maduro and other prominent members of the regime. Washington offers $ 15 million in exchange for information about the Chavista leader, and $ 10 million for information leading to the arrest of the other Chavista leaders. "I hope they see this opportunity as a way out," the secretary of state said Tuesday.
Venezuela faces the coronavirus with a precarious health system, while millions of people cannot afford to comply with the quarantine decreed by the authorities because their incomes depend on the informal economy. The urgency generated by the pandemic urged Guaidó to propose the formation of a national unity government over the weekend without Maduro's presence. “For it to be possible and for it to be sustainable, a national emergency government cannot be made up only of those who think like us. Nor can it be made up only of us and those who today support the dictatorship; It must be comprehensive and include all the necessary political and social sectors to face this serious emergency that is coming to us, ”he said.
Washington clarified that medical equipment and supplies are not affected by the sanctions imposed against the regime. Nor is there any prohibition to move humanitarian aid to the South American country. What "they cannot say is that they do not have money to feed the people when they continue buying weapons," Pompeo said.
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