2023-05-19 12:27:43
In November 2022, the ruling party and the Venezuelan opposition agreed at the negotiating table in Mexico to create a fund for humanitarian purposes that would be managed by the United Nations; however, obstacles in the United States delayed that agreement that caused the paralysis of the dialogue until today.
(Also read: Why was Álex Saab’s wife given a diplomatic passport in Venezuela?)
It is regarding 3,000 million dollars that would be invested in the recovery of the Venezuelan electrical system, schools, health and attention to victims of natural disasters. yesterday it became known that the Joe Biden government has given the “green light” to the delivery of resources, which leads to several new scenarios.
According to the Bloomberg agency, the US government has assured the United Nations that contributions to its humanitarian fund for Venezuela will be safe from seizures by creditors.
If this step is taken, the government of Nicolás Maduro would have one less excuse to return to the negotiating table in Mexico, Well, among their requests was the delivery of this money, in addition to the lifting of sanctions and the release of Álex Saab.
According to the news agency, earlier this month the Biden administration notified the UN, in an official cable, that the fund will be allowed to operate within the US without fear of making it vulnerable to lenders seeking the debt repayment, people familiar with the situation said.
The United States is willing to work with banks that have Venezuelan assetssome of which will feed into the fund, to ensure their safe transfer, the people said.
(Read also: ‘We cannot normalize relations with the Maduro dictatorship’: Juan Guaidó from Miami)
Venezuela defaulted on a hefty $60 billion in debt in 2017 and owes billions of dollars in commercial loans and arbitration awards. Since then, different types of creditors have focused on offshore assets frozen by US sanctions in their bid to collect on debts owed by the government and state oil company PDVSA.
The main asset offshore The country’s Citgo Petroleum is at high risk as creditors including Crystallex and oil giant ConocoPhillips pressure courts to compel the sale of its parent company’s shares so they can collect arbitration awards for the expropriation of your assets in
Venezuela, highlights Bloomberg.
The obstacles
Most of the money from this first disbursement of 3,000 million is in European countries, This was already stated by the delegation of the Unitary Platform of the Opposition a couple of months ago. In turn, they explained that it was not up to them to unblock the money, but to efforts and agreements with third parties, especially with the United States.
Gerardo Blyde, head of the opposition Unitary Platform
Photo:
A source with knowledge of the process explained to EL TIEMPO that the main obstacle was the sanctions on Venezuela and the risk that the creditors wanted to take advantage of it to collect the money, so the main decision-maker in this case was the United States, who had to allow the unlocking of funds.
Bloomberg publishes regarding this that last year the Biden administration told the UN that it might not guarantee that the funds would be safe from creditors.
USA, Venezuela and Colombia
The Maduro government has been firm and blunt with the delivery of the money in exchange for sitting down to talk once more with the opposition and in recent months we have seen how the White House has tried to restart the negotiations.
20 delegations met in the Bolívar Hall of the Foreign Ministry.
Cesar Melgarejo / EL TIEMPO
A new actor has also been added: Colombia. President Gustavo Petro has insisted to Biden on the need to lift the sanctions on his neighbor, but also called a summit in Bogotá with the participation of 19 countries, expressly to talk regarding Venezuela, quoted by the US. said present.
The humanitarian agreement “has the potential to support millions of vulnerable Venezuelans,” said Farhan Haq, spokesman for the UN secretary-general.
If this is the case, Maduro must commit to granting electoral guarantees for the 2024 presidential elections, because the “exchange” consisted of establishing the humanitarian fund in exchange for “free” elections for the next year.
ANA MARIA RODRIGUEZ BRAZON
WEATHER CORRESPONDENT
CARACAS
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