The visit to the Oslo Forum is a signal that the parties are in the process of finding each other again. Negotiations on the protracted political and social crisis in Venezuela were put on hold in October last year. This is from the last press conference the two delegation leaders held together with Norway’s chief negotiator in September 2021. From left: Gerardo Blyde, Jorge Rodríguez and Dag Nylander. Photo: Marco Ugarte / AP The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms on social media that the actors are expected in Norway. According to what news has reason to believe, it is the opposition’s chief negotiator Gerardo Blyde and the government’s chief negotiator Jorge Rodríguez who are coming. It is unclear whether the two will announce new, formal negotiations during the visit. But it can stop rumors of bad mood and unwillingness to cooperate. The visit is seen as a support to Norway that facilitates after months of deadlocked situation and uncertainty. The actors signed a letter of intent in August last year at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. From left: Jorge Rodriguez representing the government, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Norwegian mediator Dag Nylander and Gerardo Blyde Perez from the opposition. Photo: EDGARD GARRIDO / Reuters Hearing experiences from other conflicts The two delegation leaders from Venezuela will participate in the Oslo Forum at Losby estate. Around 100 diplomats, peace brokers and special envoys are expected to share experiences from crises and conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar. Norway has tried to help its rivals in Venezuela out of the crisis several times. Venezuela meetings have been held in the Dominican Republic in 2018, Oslo and Barbados in 2019. The last round of getting Venezuela back on a democratic track started in August last year. Unlike previous rounds of negotiations, several countries are driving forces and are now behind the Norwegian-led trials. Russia is the government’s support country, while the US-backed opposition has the Netherlands as its companion during the dialogue meetings in Mexico. Negotiations stranded US sits with one of the keys. The Americans have promised to remove sanctions against the Maduro regime if the negotiations yield results. President Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly claimed that the United States is trying to sabotage the peace talks through sanctions and arrests. There was an abrupt end last autumn when the United States extradited businessman Alex Saab, accused of money laundering. He was a close ally of President Maduro. At about the same time, Norway’s then Prime Minister Erna Solberg stood on the podium at the UN and criticized the conditions for human rights in Venezuela. Solberg’s speech was also described as an attempt to torpedo the dialogue. The Venezuelan government chose to abstain from planned negotiations in October last year. No new dates have been announced for dialogue meetings in Mexico, but sources in the opposition news has recently spoken to, claim it is only a matter of time. There has been informal contact between the parties for several weeks, especially after US envoys visited Venezuela in March. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the US summit last week that the message he hears is that the parties are ready to continue the negotiations. The United States is at the forefront of sanctions against the Venezuelan regime. Now Russian oil can be exchanged for oil from Venezuela. Photo: Isaac Urrutia / Reuters US eases Venezuela sanctions In recent months, the US has changed its approach to the conflict in Venezuela. Especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led to major changes in US energy policy. The Americans have promised to take steps that encourage dialogue between the government and the opposition. The United States has given oil company Chevron permission to resume talks with Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA. Before the weekend, the US Treasury Department removed the blacklist of President Nicolas Maduro’s relative. Carlos Erik Malpica Flores was put on the list in 2017 for allegedly undermining democracy. He is the first lady of Cilia Flores’ nephew and was one of the top leaders in PDVSA. Domestic policy could affect the negotiations US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that there will be even more easing of sanctions if Maduro agrees to compromises around the negotiating table. Norway’s chief negotiator Dag Nylander compared the peace talks to cycling. In an interview with news last autumn. he said: – You have to keep the bike going, have progress in the negotiations. If it stops for too long, the negotiations overturn. Should there be new rounds of negotiations in Mexico this summer, the parties should agree on several sub-agreements well in advance of this autumn’s midterm elections in the United States. President Joe Biden has already been criticized by Republicans for breaking the line of sanctions and the harsher tone of his predecessor Donald Trump. Biden has also met with opposition in his own ranks, including from the leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, writes the New Jersey Globe. The critics do not want to give concessions or concessions that the Venezuelan leader can benefit from.
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Political rivals in Venezuela meet in Norway – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
