US Officials Urge Colombia to Engage With Venezuela Opposition

Nicolle Yapur and Andreina Itriago Acosta
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Top Biden administration officials urged Colombian President Gustavo Petro to engage with Venezuela’s opposition on Tuesday as the nation’s political standoff intensifies, putting at risk a deal to remove sanctions in exchange for a free and fair vote.

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Colombia can play an important role in making the case for competitive and inclusive Venezuelan elections, US National Security Council’s senior director for the Western Hemisphere Juan González told reporters in a briefing Monday in Bogota after meeting with Petro.

“Colombia can serve as an important bridge, not just at building dialogue between the opposition and Chavismo but also frankly between us and Venezuela,” he added.

González and US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer met with Petro in Bogotá to discuss the situation in Venezuela and migration among other topics.

The Biden administration is urging Venezuela’s neighbors to build bridges between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the country’s opposition after candidate María Corina Machado was banned from running in this year’s elections.

Read more: US Seeks Support from Venezuela Neighbors to Influence Maduro

In late January, the US restored sanctions on Venezuela’s gold sector and said it would allow a six-month suspension on sanctions on the oil and gas sector to expire in April if opposition candidates remained barred from running in this year’s presidential elections.

Petro, who has emerged as an important ally to Maduro since taking office in 2022, has helped reestablish diplomatic ties between his country and Venezuela and made efforts to mediate the political crisis there.

González reiterated that the US is going to continue advocate for the eligibility of all candidates in upcoming elections, including opposition front-runner Machado, and that they follow the Venezuelan opposition’s position on the matter.

“We’re all about the process, not the candidate,” he said.

He‘s hopeful that there’s time for dialogue before US licenses expire in April. He clarified that, at the moment, the decision to renew sanctions will affect the general license issued in October, while specific licenses, such as the one granted to Chevron, will be considered separately. Regarding sanctions on secondary trading of Venezuelan debt, he said the decision to lift them was in the interest of the US.

Support to Guyana

González said the US continues to support a diplomatic solution to the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana. Both countries have held talks in two separate occasions, sponsored by the Brazilian government.

González and Finer traveled to Guyana on Sunday as the US works to prevent the country’s dispute with Venezuela over oil and mineral riches from sliding into armed conflict.

“We certainly don’t want to escalate tensions, but we have our own strategic relationship with Guyana,” González said. “Even if there wasn’t tension with Venezuela, supporting Guyana strengthen its defensive capabilities is something that we have a direct interest in.”

--With assistance from Patricia Laya.

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