Eliminate oil licenses, recognize Edmundo González as president and more sanctions: recommendations of former US ambassador for crisis in Venezuela

For Michael McKinley, former US ambassador to Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Afghanistan, and one of the most authoritative voices on regional issues, the arrest warrant against Edmundo González not only dangerously aggravates the political crisis in Venezuela, but demands a forceful response from the international community on which the future of the neighboring country could well depend.

The roadmap: these are the recommendations

According to McKinley, the first and most important thing is that both the United States and other countries in the world must abandon half-hearted positions and recognize as soon as possible that González is the president-elect of Venezuela.

Washington, as is known, maintains that The opposition candidate was the one who received the most votes in the last elections but to date has refused to classify him as the new president-electAnd although the European Union’s position has been clearer, there are also divisions around this same legal aspect.

“Recognizing Gonzalez as president-elect would radically change the current dynamic, energizing the opposition and the Venezuelan people at a time when there is a danger of internal momentum being lost due to increasing repression,” the former ambassador says in his column.

According to McKinley, While for some this step would be just a repetition of what happened in 2019 with Juan Guaidó – which did not lead to the departure of the regime – the current crossroads is completely different..

“What happened in 2019 – the former ambassador maintains – was about constitutional violations committed by the regime. On this occasion we are talking about a crude effort to steal an election that was won by the opposition candidate.”

Additionally, McKinley suggests three coercive measures that could have a high impact. On the one hand, the United States should impose individual sanctions on a large number of people and not just a few, as the Treasury Department is speculated to do soon against officials of the National Electoral Council and members of the Armed Forces..

“The United States could accelerate the pace of targeted sanctions targeting a broader range of individuals responsible for election repression and fraud. Doing so would maximize impact at a time of considerable uncertainty. History shows that sanctions are likely to be most effective in times of high tension and in the short term, as they fade over time,” the former ambassador said.

Likewise, he requests that the partial licenses for oil exploitation that were granted to multinationals such as Chevron and that have given the regime a respite be eliminated.

“There is no reason for the U.S. to offer Maduro a cushion at this time and little evidence that lifting those sanctions helped mitigate migration from that country,” McKinley said.

There is no reason for the U.S. to offer Maduro a cushion at this point and little evidence that lifting those sanctions helped mitigate migration from that country.

The former ambassador also suggests that the Justice Department release the confidential information it apparently possesses that led to the issuance of an arrest warrant against Maduro with a reward of up to $15 million.

That information, McKinley says, “could severely damage Maduro’s legitimacy both domestically and internationally if it exposes his ties to drug trafficking, corruption and terrorism.”.

The former ambassador also calls for the US, the European Union and other countries in the region to convene a session of the UN General Assembly as soon as possible to approve a resolution supporting the democratic transition and calls for the highest levels of the Joe Biden administration – Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan – to make it clear in no uncertain terms that González’s arrest would lead to very serious consequences.

Beyond democratic aspirations, McKinley says, helping the opposition move forward is crucial for reasons that transcend Venezuela’s borders.

“Mass migration from Venezuela and its status as a hub of international crime and terrorism have disrupted regional stability, and with the world’s largest oil reserves, the country remains an important part of the geoeconomic calculations about energy security of the United States (and China, Russia, Cuba, and Iran). We are at a unique juncture in Venezuela’s modern history, with a democratic transition at stake that will affect us all if it fails. Venezuelans will need more, not less, support in the coming weeks if they are to have any chance of success,” the former ambassador concludes.

SERGIO GOMEZ MASERI

Correspondent for EL TIEMPO

Washington