U.S Prisoners Held In Venezuela Return Home
March 9, 2022–As the United States cuts off imports of oil from Russia, it opens doors for a resumption of trade with other countries under U.S. sanctions. Namely, it opens possibilities for Venezuela and Iran.
In the latter case, Iran, negotiations have been ongoing in Vienna for months.
Talks Resume
In the case of Venezuela, diplomats restarted talks that had stalled. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Tuesday U.S. envoy had traveled to resume talks on “a range of topics” and those talks are ongoing.
Venezuela backed Russia on a recent UN vote, abstaining from a resolution on by the UN Human Rights Council. And Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro stands firm in his commitment to his communist revolution. His Twitter feed echoes that.
For his part, Maduro also confirmed he met with U.S. diplomats.
“Last Saturday night a delegation from the government of the United States of America arrived in Venezuela, I received it here at the presidential palace,” Maduro said in a broadcast on state media, according to a report on Al Jazeera. “We had a meeting, I could describe it as respectful, cordial, very diplomatic.”
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Juan Guaido expressed a cautious tone on Twitter. “Relieving sanctions on the dictatorship should only be done with irreversible steps towards freedom and redemocratization,” he said.
Prisoners Released
On Tuesday, the White House announced the release by Venezuela of two men. Gustavo Cardenas and Jorge Fernandez are on their way home. It’s been five years since Cardenas was arrested as part of the so-called CITGO-6. Fernandez faced arrest and detention last year on what White House officials call “spurious charges.”
“I am grateful to Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs?Roger Carstens and our entire diplomatic team for their tireless efforts to secure their release and reunite these families,” U.S. President Joe Biden said.
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