The Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado, has accused the U.S. Administration of Donald Trump of leaving her out of the political talks taking place this week in Caracas between the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez and other opposition factions. At the same time, she has reiterated her intention to return to Venezuela "sooner than expected" to push for a transition to democracy.
In an interview with the newspaper "The New York Times" from Panama, Machado has highlighted the cooling of her relationship with the White House after several months in which Washington has kept her on the sidelines, betting on the continuity of the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, after the capture of Nicolás Maduro last January. The opposition figure maintains that the process of stabilizing the country "could have been done without her (Delcy Rodríguez)," whom she considers "part of the criminal system," and recalls that in the Venezuelan Constitution there are crimes "that are not subject to amnesty or forgiveness." For this reason, she demands the creation of a truth commission and special courts to judge the human rights violations attributed to the current leader.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, Tommy Pigott, has reiterated Washington's "one hundred percent" support for the reconciliation talks led by the Venezuelans themselves, emphasizing the "real advances" achieved within the three-phase plan —stabilization, economic recovery, and democratic transition— designed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In statements to the U.S. network NewsNation, Pigott has insisted that "concrete results" have already been obtained, such as reforms aimed at establishing an independent Supreme Court and the review of repressive laws used against political dissent. He emphasized that the ultimate goal of the U.S. Administration is to establish a "free, prosperous, and partner" Venezuela that leaves behind the legacy of Maduro's regime.
On the other hand, Machado has spoken for the first time about the recent agreements promoted by Washington that grant businessman Alejandro Betancourt control of nearly one-fifth of the country's oil reserves, agreements that she has described as "obscene corruption."
The opposition figure has assured that a future democratic government will respect those contracts that "comply with Venezuelan law," but has made it clear that she does not see Betancourt as an acceptable ally, considering him "one of the main responsible parties" for the collapse of the national electrical grid.
Machado recounts her failed attempts to return to the country
Machado has also stated that she has tried to return to Venezuela seven times unsuccessfully, including two attempts after the earthquakes last June, and claims that her movements have been blocked. In response to these accusations, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department has denied any responsibility and indicated that "the United States does not facilitate the return of opposition figures" and that the leader has the possibility of returning whenever she decides.
In the same vein, on Wednesday, the Secretary General of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, defended that "no one is preventing" Machado from returning to the country. He even challenged her to come back immediately and labeled her allegations about a supposed veto at the border as "pure straw."
"Why doesn't she come? Let her come to Venezuela, no one is preventing her from coming," stated the Chavista leader, who maintained that the real "problem" for Machado would be the political landscape she would have to face once she sets foot on Venezuelan territory again.