U.S. and Venezuela Should Restart Talks to Ease Oil Sanctions, Group Says
- Civic leaders send public letter to Biden, Blinken, Story
- Sanctions didn’t achieve their objective, signatories say
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A group of Venezuelan civil society leaders, economists and analysts called on the U.S., President Nicolas Maduro’s administration and the opposition to restart political talks in order to ease oil sanctions that would alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
In a letter addressed to U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ambassador to Venezuela James Story, the group asked for the U.S. government and lawmakers to overcome “domestic political pressures” they say have hindered the advance of negotiations with Maduro. They also called for agreements that allow for the return of Western oil companies and other private firms to recover Venezuela’s oil sector and contribute to energy security in the hemisphere.