Venezuela govt cancels talks with opposition over US extradition of Nicolas Maduro's ally

The Venezuelan administration announced on Saturday that it would suspend negotiations with the opposition, scheduled to resume this week, following the extradition of President Nicholas Maduro’s close ally, Alex Saab, to the USA. 

Talks between the Maduro government and opposition leader Juan Guaidó were scheduled to resume on Sunday, October 17, in Mexico. However, on Saturday, Jorge Rodriguez, who heads the government's negotiating team, said that they would not attend the talks as an “expression of protest” against “brutal aggression” meted out to Colombian businessman Alex Saab. 

Saab, a Colombian entrepreneur, also holds a diplomatic passport issued by the Nicholas Maduro led government. The fugitive, along with his business partner Alvaro Pulido, is charged with money laundering in the US. In June last year, he was detained in Cape Verde, where his plane reportedly stopped to refuel on its way to Iran. 

Presidential crisis and US sanctions 

While President Nicolas Maduro says he democratically won the 2019 presidential elections, opposition parties, thousands of Venezuelans, the European Union, the USA and several other Latin American countries claim otherwise.

In December last year, the country’s opposition, led by Juan Guaidó quit the Parliament in protest. Taking the opportunity, Maduro gained ‘total control’ of the legislative body. Earlier this year, the apparent ‘undemocratic’ move attracted the ire of the European bloc, which then, expanded its list of sanctions adding 19 Venezuelan officials for "undermining democracy" and human rights abuses. As of now, 55 members of Maduro's regime have been targeted by asset freezes and travel bans by the EU and the US.

The move is expected to worsen ties between the US and Venezuela. Last month, Caracas said that America’s crippling sanctions on Venezuela are hampering its technical cooperation programme with the UN's nuclear watchdog. Speaking virtually at the 65th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the country's deputy minister of New Sources and Rational Use of Electric Energy Tania Masea asserted that the ‘illegal’ sanctions have limited the “acquisition, installation and maintenance of equipment or supplies within the technical cooperation program" with IAEA. 

(Image: AP)