US demands of Venezuela’s interim president’
Politico reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that US officials have told Delcy Rodriguez that they want her to take at least three steps: crack down on drug trafficking; expel agents from Iran, Cuba, and other countries or networks hostile to Washington; and stop selling oil to US enemies.
The two sources said that US officials also expect Rodriguez to eventually pave the way for free elections and step down. But the deadlines for meeting these demands have varied, and US officials have stressed that no elections are imminent.
In addition to military options, the US has other incentives and punitive measures to coax Rodriguez into cooperating, including easing sanctions and access to his financial assets, mostly in Doha, Qatar, a source familiar with the matter told Politico.
The US has a lot of leverage over Rodriguez and others, said Elliott Abrams, the special envoy for Venezuela in the first Trump administration. We have proven that we can arrest people in downtown Caracas.
Abrams, who announced that Rodriguez also has assets in Turkey, predicted that even the possibility of discussing his assets would be leverage in dealing with him.
Abrams said: “The news that we are negotiating with the Qataris and the Turks about his assets would definitely be a serious threat.”
Politico continued the report, citing informed sources, saying that Washington still has no plans to lift sanctions against Venezuela or send humanitarian aid to the country.
Reuters also reported, citing informed sources, that after removing Nicolas Maduro from the presidency of Venezuela, the Trump administration is seeking to intimidate other officials in Caracas by threatening more severe military action to force them to follow American policies.
Reuters reported on January 4, citing three people familiar with the matter, that Donald Trump’s advisers believe that behind-the-scenes cooperation could be possible with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez. Rodriguez is seen as a technocrat who may be willing to work with the United States on a political transition and key issues related to oil.
However, the plan, which is currently unclear, faces several complicating factors, including the extent of Trump’s potential military action, raising questions about his ability to get Venezuela’s post-Maduro government to do his bidding.
Possible offers to Maduro’s aides could include amnesty or deportation, the kind that Maduro rejected in the final days of his rule, before his capture by US special forces. He is currently being held in a New York detention center, awaiting a court hearing on drug trafficking charges later today, one of the people familiar with the matter said.