Brian Nichols warns Maduro: ‘US patience is not without limits’

WASHINGTON – US patience “is not limitless.” This was the warning to the President of the Republic, Nicolas Maduro. If the government delegation does not return to the negotiating table, from which it stood about a year ago, the White House will approve new sanctions. The threats at the moment are only verbal and which, if dialogue is not resumed in Mexico, could become a reality.
If Nicolás Maduro thinks our patience is infinite — said Brian Nichols, Under-Secretary of State for Latin America, questioned by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — he is deeply mistaken. Postponement tactics with us are useless.
Nichols reported that informal meetings were held in Oslo and Caracas, and confirmed that some progress had been made. He also said that the United States believes that the return of government and opposition delegations to the negotiating table is possible.
When asked by Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, the chair of the committee, who asked Nichols to be more specific, the Under Secretary of State only said that the Biden administration has many tools, which he will undoubtedly use to persuade President Maduro’s government to resume the path of negotiations. But he did not provide information on when the two delegations would meet again.
He said that if the government delegation decides to resume negotiations, there will likely be sanctions relief. He confirmed that talks with allies on the peace process in Venezuela took place during the recent visit of Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken to Mexico.
Nichols, a member of the Senate committee, commented that the government will continue to work “to ensure that the system does not access frozen assets.” He also said he would urge the International Criminal Court to expedite investigations into alleged human rights violations in Venezuela. Then he repeated his criticism of President Maduro, who is seeking to establish more and more alliances with Russia, China and Iran, and emphasized that the White House would continue to recognize Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela.
Caracas Editorial Board