Chavismo urges talks with opposition in Mexico over Alex Saab’s extradition

George Rodriguez, with members of the negotiating team, after arriving in Mexico City today.EFE

With the legendary “Free Alex Chop” finally taking the signs with the second round Talks on the Venezuelan crisis It began this Saturday afternoon in Mexico City with the arrival of members of the Bolivarian government committee. Negotiations began a day late at 2.30pm local time, with a group led by George Rodriguez appearing at the hotel, thus dissolving the suspense that had prevailed in this new round of talks.

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The meeting was scheduled for Friday, but representatives of Nicolas Maduro one day delayed his arrival in protest and did so in support of Colombian businessman Alex Chapp, who is waiting to be deported to the United States in Cape Verde. The Venezuelan government, which has demanded that Saab be included in its delegation, is trying to prevent Maduro’s image from being brought to US justice. James Story, the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, was the catalyst for another critique of Savismo. The U.S. diplomat said on Thursday that his country was ready to ease sanctions if there were “changes” against the Maduro administration. Democracy, Which was considered an interference by Rodriguez. This report of the story insults the conversation table in Mexico, but above all it insults the representatives of the single site. [oposición], To whom he gives orders. The Bolivarian government will never take part in an agenda that seeks to impose this character, “he wrote.

Chavismo has hardened his rhetoric in recent weeks, accusing the opposition of violating basic negotiation rules and stealing assets from the country. Crisis in monomers, A Venezuelan public company in the hands of the opposition. Following several weeks of indictments by Nicolas Maduro, the prosecutor’s office has launched a new trial against opposition leader Juan Guido. But he has demanded that Colombian businessman Alex Chop be included in the Savista delegation to be extradited to the United States in Cavid Verde. Process

When George Rodriguez arrived in the Mexican capital.
When George Rodriguez arrived in the Mexican capital. EFE

Maduro has come up with this new attempt at reconciliation by the Norwegians with the same idea: to get more money by removing sanctions and regaining control over frozen assets and resources abroad as part of a diplomatic siege. Is the result of its dictatorial slip. From the announcements of the top government in the conversation, it is clear that it wants to negotiate on the spectrum of these concessions.

Two weeks ago, the creation of a community schedule to address the health crisis was approved and Ezigopo’s security level reaffirmed –The disputed area between Venezuela and Guyana– A title was left on the table. Chavismo reiterated that part of the International Monetary Fund’s special drawing rights (SDR) would lead to the government negotiating the removal of $ 5,000 million associated with Venezuela.

Since August, the IMF has been distributing these transfers to its members amid a recession that brought about $ 650 million (553 million euros) in international financial assistance. It is a mechanism developed in 1969 by multilateral organizations to replenish countries’ international reserves and support global cash flow. They helped revive the economy after the global financial crisis of 2008. But this year’s allocation is “historically significant,” according to the IMF’s own director, Kristalina Georgieva. “This is the largest SDR allocation in IMF history and an encouraging stimulus to the world economy in the midst of an unprecedented crisis,” he said in early August. The contribution does not refer to new money and debt, but to the issuance of accounts after two years.

Venezuela is not currently allocated. However, between September 7 and 8, the Venezuelan central bank increased its reserves in international reserves without any explanation. From $ 6,200 million a day, the country with the highest inflation in the world suffered from a strong economic contraction and went up to $ 11,300 million the next day, with international sanctions. Although they do not actually have the extraordinary increase explained by economists adding the $ 5,000 million SDR balance sheets.

After years of close ties with the International Monetary Fund, Maduro is ready to raise money, even if it changes the political position of his predecessors. In 2007, Hugo Chavez threatened to withdraw from the fund, which he often described as an “instrument of colonialism”. “Say goodbye to you, people of the International Monetary Fund. Venezuela is free,” the former president once said. Maduro was surprised by the extraordinary request to lend to the IMF, which acknowledged that it was not clear who ruled Venezuela, rejecting Maduro’s re-election in 2018 in internationally unknown elections, or the self-proclaimed interim president in 2019, Juan Guido.

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The Venezuelan business community has joined the new movement fighting for the $ 5,000 million IMF. In a letter to Norwegian negotiator Doc Nyland, FedExmaras – the trade association – has asked for a mechanism to be put in place at the negotiating table to use the funds during the country’s severe crisis. The document leaked to the media describes the state of the private sector and the state of the national production apparatus. The government used it to its advantage to say that there were already agreements to dispose of the funds. However, the Opposition Committee has made it clear that it is only willing to talk about this issue.

But there are other reasons that complicate accessing turns. Savismo has been using international reserves to offset public spending without any restrictions. Since 2004, Venezuela has violated Article IV of the IMF Rules, which requires countries to receive annual trips from a multilateral organization. The Venezuelan government has not released or approved the country’s budget or public sector reports and accounts and economic indicators from time to time from 2016 onwards before the National Assembly. With restrictions, reporter banks that allow PCVs to convert SDR to foreign currency are exhausted. Savismo bears the brunt of wasting nearly $ 1 trillion in oil revenues on corruption and mismanagement in just a decade. Ambiguity and distrust play against the infiltration of this capital in the short term.

Economist Ronald Balza is wary of using money orders, which are likely to become empty checks. “What’s the point of having more reserves to strengthen the currency with an exchange regime that doesn’t work with a government? Default Andres Bello is the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at Catholic University. As for Balsa, neither the government nor those asking for the use of SDRs have raised the priority of spending or put forward a plan with a budget for its use. They have set their sights on the total available. “We can’t forget that there is hunger and crisis in this country because the money that was there was so badly used,” he adds.

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The new round of meetings will be held initially until Monday, during which it is scheduled to be discussed The justice system in Venezuela, Was severely questioned in a second report presented last week by the United Nations Independence Mission. Savismo has prepared for it. Over the past two weeks, it has explicitly endorsed a few laws that touch the judiciary, the content of which is not yet known, but it will allow it to lead debates in its favor and argue against the judiciary’s serious failures. Monómeros Situation, a Pequiven subsidiary in Colombia, has now accepted the Colombian recovery plan, adding Alex Chap to the table and the IMF’s special drawing rights, as the government seeks to speed up negotiations.

Maduro’s prisoners face surrender amid the glory of Savismo, which prevents the United States from reaching the hands of justice. The businessman, who was pointed out by the United States for money laundering involving the government of Nicolas Maduro, lost an appeal filed by his lawyers in the Cape Verde Supreme Court in the first week of September, where he has been incarcerated since June 12, 2020. After his arrest, Saab had a Red Alert on Interpol, demanding US justice for the money laundering and identifying himself as Nicolas Maduro’s aforementioned person. It was the last lost battle to prevent his relocation by the protection of the businessman, led by former Spanish judge Baldacar Curzon.

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Esmond Harmon

"Entrepreneur. Social media advocate. Amateur travel guru. Freelance introvert. Thinker."

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