The Government delegation in the negotiations with the Venezuelan opposition has conditioned this Tuesday the continuation of the dialogue table to the agreement on the release of blocked funds, in compliance with what was agreed between both parties at the end of the year.
The leader of the delegation, Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, has indicated that, if the blocked 3.2 billion dollars are not returned, the dialogue will not continue.
Rodriguez has assured that «there is no reason to continue dialoguing with people who break their word», demanding the opposition to comply with the commitments.
«There is nothing more despicable than signing a paper knowing that they were not going to comply with their commitments», he has criticized while asking to avoid threats and sanctions.
During the last meeting between the government delegation and the opposition at the end of 2022, both parties agreed on the release of that amount of funds, currently frozen in international accounts due to U.S. sanctions, with the objective that they be managed by the United Nations to finance social projects.
Top diplomats from the European Union, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom congratulated the parties after the signing of the agreement, although they reiterated a sustained effort culminating in the holding of «free and fair elections in 2024, the restoration of democratic institutions and the end of the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela».
Finally, the signatories reiterated their willingness «to review sanctions policies» should the Venezuelan government make significant progress in the talks to alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people and bring them closer to the restoration of democracy.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
