The government of US President Joe Biden has allowed US oil company Chevron to start talks with the Maduro government, temporarily lifting the ban on such talks – mentioned Senior government officials on Tuesday. Several sources told Reuters that Washington has not yet made a final decision to renew Chevron’s existing limited operating license for Venezuela. Chevron is the last US oil producer to be located in Venezuela, home to the world’s largest crude oil reserves.
The steps, which US officials say were taken in consultation with the Venezuelan opposition, follow the March visit of a high-ranking US delegation to Caracas that led to the release of two US prisoners.
The socialist leader has signaled a willingness to return to talks with the opposition in Mexico, which he closed in October, so sources said the parties are expected to set a date for talks to resume soon. A photo was posted on Twitter between government leaders and the opposition negotiating team on Twitter on Tuesday. Image title:A meeting on future plans. Save the Mexican Soul“.
The talks aim to resolve the long-running political crisis in VenezuelaWashington has made lifting sanctions largely conditional on progress at the negotiating table. The United States recognized Juan Guaido, the opposition leader, as the legitimate president, and condemned Maduro’s re-election in 2018 as a fraud — but Maduro remained in power.
The United States is preparing to hold the US Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles in early June, and the leaders of Mexico and Bolivia have threatened to miss the meeting if Cuba, Nicaragua and the Maduro governments are excluded. But US officials insisted that there is no connection between the summit and political action in Cuba and Venezuela.
The decision to allow contact between Chevron and PDVSA, a central component of the oil sector imposed by the United States in Venezuela,protective barriers“There is some reason to discuss ‘potential future activities’ in the country outside the narrow mandate,” said one official.
According to the official, the easing of sanctions will take place during the negotiations.With ambitious, tangible and irreversible resultsIt will be evaluated according to and warned that The US action can be reversed if Maduro backs down.
Cover photo: Gaby Oraa/Bloomberg via Getty Images
