Nicolle Yapur and Andreina Itriago Acosta, Bloomberg News

CARACAS
EnergiesNet.com 04 15 2022

A group of Venezuelan civil society leaders, economists and analysts called on the U.S., President Nicolas Maduro’s administration and the opposition to restart political talks in order to ease oil sanctions that would alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

In a letter addressed to U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ambassador to Venezuela James Story, the group asked for the U.S. government and lawmakers to overcome “domestic political pressures” they say have hindered the advance of negotiations with Maduro. They also called for agreements that allow for the return of Western oil companies and other private firms to recover Venezuela’s oil sector and contribute to energy security in the hemisphere.

Signees include former head of the Fedecamaras business chamber Ricardo Cusanno, political analysts Michael Penfold and Luis Vicente Leon, and economists Jose Guerra, Jose Manuel Puente, Francisco Rodriguez and Luis Oliveros.

“Let’s face it: the maximum pressure policy and economic sanctions against Venezuela did not achieve their goals,” the group said in the letter, released Thursday. “While sanctions are not the root of Venezuela’s humanitarian emergency, they have gravely worsened conditions for the average Venezuelan.”

A rare meeting between Maduro and high-ranking U.S. officials in Caracas last month prompted strong bipartisan pushback on speculation that sanction relief was on the table to free up oil supplies in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

While the U.S. insisted the meeting was mostly focusing on freeing several political prisoners being held in Caracas, the Venezuelan opposition led by Juan Guaido also spoke out against the possibility of sanctions relief without “concrete steps” toward a return to democracy in the South American country.

The group’s stated intention is to promote Venezuela’s return to global oil markets through a design that guarantees that the income would be used to combat widespread poverty. 

The letter also calls on Maduro’s administration to return to the negotiating table in good faith with the opposition and to seek political and electoral agreements, not just economic ones. 

The opposition should “unify around basic and realistic principles that support potential agreements,” according to the letter. “We have encouraged the opposition not be held hostage by extreme positions that only prolong the painful status quo.” 

bloomberg,com 04 14 2022