An official from the American State Department reported this Friday (9) that Donald Trump’s government sent a delegation of diplomats to Venezuela to explore the possibility of reopening the American embassy in the Caribbean country, following the operation that resulted in the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
“On January 9, diplomatic and security personnel from the US Office in Venezuela (VAU), including chargé d’affaires John T. McNamara, traveled to Caracas to carry out an initial assessment with a view to a possible gradual resumption of operations,” the source revealed, on condition of anonymity, to EFE.
US President Donald Trump had already announced on Sunday, a day after American special forces captured Maduro and took him to New York to face narco-terrorism charges, that Washington was considering reopening the American embassy in the Caribbean country.
The embassy, located in Baruta, in the metropolitan region of Caracas, was closed in 2019, after Nicolás Maduro himself declared the break in bilateral relations with the USA.
Since then, Washington has handled matters related to the South American country through the Office of Venezuelan Affairs, located at the embassy in Bogotá.
After Maduro’s arrest, Trump, for the time being, discarded the main leaders of the Venezuelan opposition and opted for an interim government led by Chavismo representative Delcy Rodríguez to govern Venezuela under the Washington administration, which, according to him, could last for years.
Opposition leader will meet with Trump in the US next week
On Thursday (8), President Trump announced that the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Maria Corina Machado, will be in Washington DC next week, when he will meet with her to discuss the future of Venezuela.
In an interview with Fox Newsthe Republican described Machado as “a good person” and said he would like to “greet” her during her visit to the country.
The broadcaster’s presenter Sean Hannity asked the president if he would accept the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the leader of the Venezuelan opposition who offered it to him for ordering the military operation that captured dictator Nicolás Maduro. Trump responded that “it would be a great honor.”
Trump’s statements contrasted sharply with those he made following Maduro’s arrest on January 3, when he questioned Machado’s ability to lead Venezuela in this transition period because she “has no support or respect” in the country. With this, his government allowed the temporary continuity of the Chavista dictatorship with Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s deputy, in power.
