Caracas’ pressure game on the US gives it a ‘victory’ – Venezuela – International

2023-12-25 06:00:00

From Venezuela, Álex Saab’s arrival was unthinkable and unexpected. The rumors came and went, but those most “affected” were the opponents, especially the critics and radicals.

(Also read: Release of Álex Saab: who wins and who loses with the Biden-Maduro negotiation)

For Professor Carlos Zambrano, from the Central University of Venezuela, rather than thinking about a “bet” by President Joe Biden, we must see it as “a State policy of the United States to make all possible efforts to achieve the release of its citizens imprisoned outside its territory, which it finally achieved through the process governed by Qatar.”

Zambrano also highlights the exacerbated polarization during all these years, which makes some see “this step as a weakness of the United States government, and, on the other hand, those who celebrate that finally, after a long time, real politics is being exercised.” .

For his part, for Luis Vicente León, director of the Datanalisis firm, it is undoubtedly a success for Biden to present his freed citizens at Christmas and “without firing a shot.” All this “within the framework of a political negotiation that was publicly validated by the opposition itself with the Barbados agreement.”

(You may be interested in: Venezuela: Álex Saab joins the dialogue table with the opposition)

León considers that Biden buys time to avoid the collapse of the oil and gas agreements that that country also wants to maintain at any cost and with this he can control the contrary pressures from his adversaries. “All this while keeping alive their fight for better electoral conditions towards 2024” in Venezuela.

Returning to Caracas, for Maduro, the release of prisoners in general is also very positive. It momentarily stabilizes the Doha and Barbados agreements, guarantees an increase in the nation’s foreign currency cash flow for a longer period of time, places its Government in a high percentage of compliance with its real commitments to the US and sends a strong message about his willingness to not give an inch to any political request, nor pressure on issues that have not been explicit in previous agreements, León insists.

For the analyst, Saab’s release is a fundamental symbol for the Venezuelan president, but not “because of what many believe”, which is the supposed information that Saab handles because at this point it is useless and irrelevant, because the US. decided to move forward in a search for solutions.”

For his part, Luis Aguilar, from the Polianalítico firm, believes that “Maduro not only sold that he put the US judicial system in check, achieving the release of the Flores nephews and now Saab, but he demonstrated once again their diplomatic and geopolitical skills.”

ANA MARÍA RODRÍGUEZ BRAZÓN
TIME CORRESPONDENT
CARACAS