“I have no doubt that in that studied visit by (Juan) Guaidó the tickets were paid for by (US ambassador) James Story, who believes he is the owner of Venezuela and the Venezuelan opposition.” Nicolás Maduro took advantage of the broadcast of his second television program “Con Maduro” to accuse the United States of financing the flight of the former president in charge of Venezuela, a few hours before the start of the International Conference on Venezuela in Bogotá.
Story served as Washington’s ambassador to Caracas until the Donald Trump government recognized Guaidó as interim president in 2019. The diplomat traveled to Bogotá from where he has coordinated US interests in Venezuela, and was even part of the delegation that traveled by surprise to the Venezuelan capital last year to negotiate with the Bolivarian revolution.
The “people’s president” included in his criticism Gerardo Blyde, head of the negotiating delegation of the Unitary Platform, whom he pointed out as leading a “sector that represents the United States in Venezuela. They are totally progringos. It is very sad, they don’t do nothing without permission.”
Jorge Rodríguez, left hand of the “son of Chávez”, also accused Ambassador Story of boycotting the social agreement signed last year in Mexico between both parties, by which different US agencies would remit 3.2 billion dollars of the funds frozen in the country to improve hospitals, schools, roads and other public services.
“There is no way for us to return to Mexico (the main objective of the conference) if the US does not deposit the 3.2 billion dollars that they promised to return,” Maduro said to put pressure on the 20 countries invited by Petro. The Bolivarian leader needs that monetary injection ahead of next year’s presidential elections.
This was not the only condition that Maduro has imposed on the international community. In a surprise move, Chavismo has also demanded that the International Criminal Court (ICC) end its investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the revolution. “That they stop because they affect our most important leaders,” said Rodríguez, aware of the firm step of prosecutor Karim Khan against torture, extrajudicial executions, rape, arbitrary arrests and forced disappearances carried out for years in Venezuela.
Despite everything, Maduro encouraged his ally Gustavo Petro in his efforts to have the US withdraw economic sanctions. “We are in extraordinary conditions. Relations with Colombia are going excellent on all fronts, commercial, border and political. And we are going to continue deepening bilateral relations,” Maduro concluded.
A few minutes before the presidential intervention, Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva surprised the Colombian journalists who were asking him questions in Congress by threatening Guaidó. “If he doesn’t show up, he runs risks because he entered inappropriately and in Colombia we abide by the laws,” shot the Foreign Minister, host of the conference scheduled for today.
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