WASHINGTON – The Biden administration on Tuesday said it would slightly ease crippling economic sanctions on the Venezuelan government to help restart stalled negotiations between President Nicolás Maduro and political leaders. opposition leader to defuse the country’s political and humanitarian crisis.
Senior US officials said the resumption of talks is expected to be announced by Venezuelan officials late Tuesday.
To bring Mr. Maduro back to the negotiating table, the Biden administration said it would allow discussions between his government and Chevron, the last major US oil company with significant operations in Venezuela. Under current sanctions, Chevron is banned from doing business with the Venezuelan government and is only allowed to perform essential maintenance work in the country.
The US Treasury Department will also lift sanctions on Carlos Eric Malpica, a former Venezuelan state oil official and grandson of the first lady, Cilia Flores, according to a Venezuelan opposition official familiar with the matter. with the negotiations, who discussed the policy change on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak in public.
In an interview with reporters in Washington, a senior Biden administration official downplayed the benefits Mr. Maduro could gain from sanctions relief. Official discussed the policy change Tuesday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized by the White House to speak on the record. The official said Chevron would be granted a license that would only allow the company to discuss future operations with Venezuelan officials and that such activities would not generate any revenue for his government. Maduro.
The Biden official also warned that even that small concession would be withdrawn if Mr. Maduro’s government rejects good faith efforts to negotiate with political opponents led by former National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó, who whom the United States considers the legitimate interim president of Venezuela. .
The main demand of the opposition is a free and fair presidential election, currently scheduled for 2024.
According to the senior official, the Biden administration agreed to the sanctions at the specific request of the Venezuelan opposition. The opposition said the request came directly from Mr. Maduro, according to the Venezuelan opposition official.
The Venezuelan Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Maduro has gradually consolidated power in Venezuela after being re-elected in 2018 in a vote deemed fraudulent by the United States. As his power grew, his incentive to negotiate a political deal with his waning opposition waned.
The authoritarian president canceled the last round of talks in October, after the United States arrested a Venezuelan-born businessman who helped the government bypass sanctions.
Small sanctions concessions after a rare trip by senior Biden administration officials to Caracas in March, led to free two American prisoners held by the government of Mr. Maduro. Eight more U.S. citizens remain imprisoned in Venezuela.
It remains unclear whether the government’s limited allowances will be enough to entice Mr. Maduro to make meaningful political concessions to the opposition. Chevron and other Venezuelan oil companies are still prohibited from selling oil to the United States; Dozens of other senior Venezuelan officials, including Mr. Maduro, remain under sanctions.
Delcy Rodríguez, a top senior official and ally of Mr. Maduro, in a Twitter post on Tuesday implied that the sanctions deal was broader than what was announced by the White House, and would allow foreign oil companies to restart operations in Venezuela.
The senior Biden administration official urged Venezuelan negotiators to facilitate free and fair national elections as quickly as possible. Time is running out for the Biden administration, which is facing US midterm elections in November that could see Republicans take control of Congress – potentially thwarting policy priorities of the White House, including in Venezuela.
The White House’s approach to Mr. Maduro in March has been criticized by both prominent Republicans and Democrats in Congress, who say the move gives legitimacy to one of the most authoritarian governments in the West. Hemisphere.
On Tuesday, Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, attacked the latest concessions and said the Biden administration had “decided to surrender” to the corrupt government. and repression of Mr. Maduro.
The easing of sanctions on Venezuela follows the Biden administration’s announcement this week that it is easing some restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba, another authoritarian country.
With the world’s largest proven oil reserves, Venezuela has long been a power in the international oil market. But in recent years, the country’s oil production has fallen due to debt, corruption, mismanagement and, ultimately, US sanctions in 2019.
The country’s oil fields and refineries are in disrepair and may have to resort to technical assistance from Western companies such as Chevron.
Once close to American energy companies, Venezuela now relies on financial and other support from Russia, China and Iran.
Lara Jakes reported from Washington and Anatoly Kurmanaev from Mexico City. Clifford Krauss contributed reporting from Houston.
