MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New round of negotiations between Venezuelan gov't opposition to kick off in Mexico

The opposition delegation is headed by Juan Guaidó

Venezuelan Government officials and dignitaries of the opposition will convene Friday in Mexico City to kick off another round of negotiations under the mediation of Norway, with the endorsement of the United States and the European Union to seek a peaceful solution to the worst economic, social and political crisis in the country.

 According to a survey, 51% of Venzuelans agree with the new process. Jesús Seguias, president of the polling firm Datincorp specified that for 58% of Venezuelans, the most important issue was to resolve the economic crisis “and if we add the pandemic, that percentage rises to almost 80%.”

“Venezuelans feel that the politicians turned their backs on them at the worst moment of their lives and that there is no willingness to solve the problems,” Seguias added.

The study also found that only 16% of the population considered the political issue to be urgent. “If the exit is electoral, that implies a schedule and a time for presidential elections that will possibly be in 2024, but in the meantime, what will happen to the Venezuelan who has so much difficulty eating, buying medicine or interning for Covid-19? The opposition and the government have to seek to resolve the crisis,” the pollster explained.

The opposition delegation is headed by Juan Guaidó, recognized by more than 50 countries as president in charge of Venezuela. It will demand a schedule of “free and fair” presidential and parliamentary elections, as well as humanitarian aid and vaccines against the coronavirus, it was announced..

Other demands will include the release of all political prisoners, the return of those in exile and the establishment of a “transitional judiciary.”

The Chavist Government of President Nicolás Maduro will insist on “the lifting of sanctions, recognition of the legitimate authorities, the renunciation to violence and conspiracy by the right, and the addition of all the opposition to the negotiating table.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado, of Vente Venezuela and one of Maduro's arch-enemies, says these negotiations ”are a sham“ and ”will not work because the conditions of a negotiation for the resolution of a conflict like the one that exists in Venezuela do not exist at this time.“

Machado insisted sanctions were imposed because ”Maduro and his entourage are human rights violators, they have killed people, looted the country,“ and now ”they are proposing to remove them so that he can continue to commit those crimes, but with greater freedom. Is that the purpose of dialogue?“ she asked.

”In a negotiation for the departure of Maduro, for democratic transition, I want to and I will be there, but not a farce which will end up in perhaps proposing some agreements that are not going to be satisfactory for the people,“ Machado said.

Meanwhile, the Caracas regime Thursday strongly rejected former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda's declaration that Maduro's administration should be held accountable before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands, for crimes against humanity.

According to Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor of the ICC until June 15, an investigation into these crimes will be admissible before the ICC ”in terms of inaction,“ that is, due to the lack of will of the Chavista regime to prosecute the allegations of violations.

The Venezuelan Government Thursday replied that ”the conclusions issued by the former prosecutor are worthless“ and added it was willing to work with prosecutor Karim Khan, who replaced Bensouda on June 15, ”so that the absolute institutional commitment against any type of impunity and in favor of the integral protection of Human Rights is confirmed in Venezuela.”