Venezuela’s authorities released six Americans prisoners on Friday, after a meeting in Caracas among the president Nicolás Maduro and a special envoy from his pair of the United States, Donald Trump.
“I have just informed that we are bringing six hostages from Venezuela”Trump published in X.
“We start up and go home with these six US citizens”the US emissary announced shortly before in that social network, Richard Grenellwho disseminated a photograph in which he is seen with the six released on an plane, although without identifying them.
Before the meeting between Maduro and Grenelll, the NGO Criminal Forum, dedicated to the defense of political prisoners, accounted for eight citizens of USAamong them a military, and two citizens of other nationalities with residence in that country imprisoned in Venezuela accused of conspiring against Maduro and planning acts of violence.
“New Home”
Maduro advocated a “New Home” in Venezuela’s relations with the United States, broken since 2019, so that what “You have to rectify be rectified” and what “You have to do”.
The leftist ruler raised Grenell what he called as a “Zero Agenda” To rebuild bridges, in the midst of a renewed political crisis for Washington’s questions to his re -election on July 28 of last year, denounced by the opposition as a fraud.
Read more: Chile closes its consulates in Venezuela after suspension of relations
“I can say that – the meeting – it was positive (…) there are issues where we have reached first agreements and as new issues will be opened, hopefully, for new agreements”Maduro said during a speech at the opening of the judicial year.
“We tell President Donald Trump: we have taken a first step. I hope it can be sustained, we want to sustain it “the president added when noting that on Saturday more details of the meeting will be reported.
Read more: Nicolás Maduro says he is “making efforts” to deport Juan Guaidó
Formally, Washington does not know the re-election of Maduro for a third term (2025-2031) and the head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubioexpressed support for exile Edmundo González Urrutiawho claims a triumph in the presidential elections.
The government of Democrat Joe Biden also did not recognize Maduro, but undertook direct negotiations Caracas-Washington.
Read more: Maduro is a regional “threat” that should not “underestimate,” says González Urrutia in Lima
The contacts led, for example, to the liberation in the United States of Alex Saab -Colombian business accused of being “figurehead” of the president and now one of his ministers- in exchange for 10 American prisoners and about twenty Venezuelans at the end of 2023.
Repatrices
The Trump administration has launched raids in several cities and eliminated roads established by Biden that allowed legal entry and asylum application. Among them he revoked this week the extension of a migratory protection known as TPS, which protected more than 600,000 Venezuelans.
Read more: María Corina Machado thanks Ecuador for “her commitment to democracy” in Venezuela
The situation in Venezuela will be one of the themes that Marco Rubio will address on a tour that will begin on Saturday by Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Claver-Carone said that these countries are “Allies” When condemning “The stolen elections” by Maduro.
