The White House has announced that it is ready to halt sanctions relief for Venezuela, an OPEC member, if there is not further progress in the release of political prisoners and detained Americans. This statement comes after a deadline for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to meet specific commitments set by the U.S. government.
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, stated that the U.S. was pleased with the announcement made on Thursday that opposition presidential candidates would be allowed to appeal to the highest court in Venezuela, despite being initially barred from public office.
Kirby emphasized that the Venezuelan government needs to take more action to avoid a freeze on the relaxed sanctions that were implemented in response to a deal between Maduro and the country’s opposition regarding the 2024 presidential election.
The potential “snapback” of partially lifted U.S. sanctions would signify a significant shift from President Joe Biden’s approach to Venezuela.
As part of the relaxation of tough Trump-era sanctions, the U.S. issued a six-month general license for transactions with Venezuela’s oil and gas sector, as well as a license for the operations of the state gold mining company Minerven. Additionally, a U.S. prohibition on secondary-market trading of Venezuelan sovereign bonds was also removed.
In line with its threat, the U.S. promised to reverse the sanctions relief unless the Venezuelan government took action by the end of November to release political prisoners, unlawfully detained Americans, and lift the public-office bans on opposition candidates.
While the announcement made by the Venezuelan government and opposition on Thursday seemed to fulfill one of Washington’s main demands, Kirby expressed deep concern over the lack of progress in the release of wrongfully detained U.S. citizens and Venezuelan political prisoners.
He also stated that the U.S. will continue to engage diplomatically on these issues and is prepared to pause certain sanctions relief unless there is further progress in the coming days.
According to a statement shared on social media by Norway, an observer country at the talks between the two sides, candidates are now able to file petitions to the court between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, as part of the appeals process. Among those barred from office is the winner of the opposition’s presidential primary, Maria Corina Machado.
