Venezuela, President Petro works to mediate in the political crisis: meeting with Biden tomorrow

[Judi Lynn]

The goal is to discuss the lifting of sanctions in Caracas

April 19 2023

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, will see his US counterpart Joe Biden tomorrow to discuss the lifting of sanctions on Venezuela. The Colombian head of state is taking on the role of mediator in the Venezuelan political crisis, taking advantage of his country's traditionally good relationship with the United States and closeness to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has already met personally since taking office last August four times. The Colombian ambassador in Caracas confirmed that Venezuela will be at the center of the bilateral Armando Benedetti, in statements released to the press. According to the diplomat, the Biden administration would be willing to remove the sanctions on Venezuela, as part of the ongoing negotiations with the Caracas government, using President Petro as an intermediary. An issue that according to Benedetti the United States would have an interest in defining before August, i.e. before the start of the electoral campaign in view of the 2024 US presidential elections.

Thursday's meeting between Petro and Biden, says the diplomat, will determine what will happen at the summit on the Venezuelan political process scheduled for April 25 in Bogota. The reference is to the international conference organized by the Colombian government to unblock the talks between the government and the Venezuelan opposition underway in Mexico City and which, according to the Colombian Foreign Ministry, is expected to be attended by officials from at least 19 countries of European Union, Latin America and the United States. On that day "there will be a proposal on the subject of sanctions on the basis of what will emerge from the meeting of April 20", said the ambassador.

The same Petro he declared that the goal of the Bogota conference will be "more democracy and zero sanctions", in an attempt to make the international community converge towards a softer position towards the authorities in Caracas. Speaking from New York, where he attended the opening of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Petro said that the conference will be attended by "foreign ministers of European, United States and Latin American governments, to unblock the negotiations carried out by Venezuela , the United States, Mexico and Norway, with one goal: more democracy, zero sanctions”. When asked by "Agenzia Nova" about the possible presence of Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the conference, the US State Department declared that it "cannot confirm the details at this stage", without actually denying the participation of a high-level US delegation .

The Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, which has always placed the lifting of sanctions as a condition for a dialogue with the opposition, has expressed its support for the initiative. The theme, reports a press release from the presidency, was at the center of the meeting with the foreign minister, Alvaro Leyva, during his recent visit to Caracas. “I expressed Venezuela's full support for this summit, which will make it possible to relaunch our country's struggle to obtain respect for our sovereignty, respect for our independence and the definitive revocation of all unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela, on the basis of political dialogue, between all political, social and economic sectors of Venezuela,” Maduro said.

More:
https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/vvenezuela-il-presidente-petro-lavora-per-mediare-nella-crisi-politica-domani-incontro-con-biden/

[Judi Lynn]

1. ANALYSIS: Colombia's President Is a Difficult U.S. Ally--Except on Climate

Tensions are high between Colombia and the United States—but climate policy offers a way out.

By Guy Edwards, a former senior consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank and a research fellow at Brown University, and Benjamin N. Gedan, deputy director of the Wilson Center’s Latin American program.

APRIL 19, 2023, 12:21 PM

This Thursday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro will be in Washington, D.C., where he will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House for the first time. The conversation could get awkward. Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader, has brought about major shifts in Colombia’s approach to Venezuela and counternarcotics policy, upending long-standing pillars of this strategic alliance.

Yet in other areas, Petro presents opportunities for even closer ties, particularly on climate and the energy transition, both priorities for the Biden administration. Should the United States increase its support for Colombia to meet its environmental goals, it would compensate for disagreements elsewhere, generate economic and social benefits in Colombia, and offer a compelling example of how wealthy countries can support ambitious environmental policies in developing nations.

Petro has made fighting climate change and advancing a just transition away from fossil fuels some of his top goals. In March, his government announced the key pillars of its new energy transition strategy, including boosting clean energy production, enhancing energy efficiency, and the reindustrialization of the economy. The transition will be a colossal undertaking: Colombia’s energy and mining sector accounts for 7 percent of GDP, a third of foreign investment, nearly 60 percent of total exports, and more than half a million formal jobs.

Yet Petro recognizes that all nations, with developed countries leading the way, must accelerate climate action, especially in the energy sector. The latest report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows that to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world needs to substantially reduce the use of existing fossil fuels and leave most unextracted reserves in the ground. To get on the right track, scientists say global emissions must peak by 2025, and be nearly halved by 2030, to achieve the 1.5 Celsius limit.

For that reason, Petro’s ambitious climate and energy agenda merits far greater international support. On its own, Colombia has built a reputation as a trailblazer in climate action. In 2012, it was one of the first developing countries to announce a low carbon development strategy. More recently, it increased its targets, pledging to reduce emissions by 51 percent compared to projected 2030 emissions, and to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

More:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/04/19/colombia-gustavo-petro-biden-united-states-climate/