The Minister of Foreign Affairs valued the role of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in Venezuela. “He has played a very positive role in the release of political prisoners in Venezuela for many years and maintains a very fluid dialogue with the government and the opposition,” José Manuel Albares stressed this morning in “The Critical Look.”A figure like this is very necessary and very positive.“, added the head of Spanish diplomacy, who did not confirm whether the former president had intervened in the departure of opposition candidate Edmundo González from Caracas.
The Foreign Minister denied that there had been “no type of political negotiation” with the government of Nicolás Maduro nor “counterparts” to promote the departure of Edmundo González, who landed yesterday afternoon in Madrid in an armed forces plane from Caracas.
“The only contacts have been operational,” said José Manuel Albares in an interview with Onda Cero. The head of Spanish diplomacy thus denied the Venezuelan vice-president, Delcy Rodriguezwho said there had been “extensive conversations and contacts” with the government of Pedro Sánchez. Albares called “nonsense” all the information he heard and read from Saturday morning until Sunday, when the Foreign Ministry announced that Edmundo González had left Venezuela.
According to the minister, the contacts between Spain and Venezuela were to allow the Spanish Air Force plane to land in Caracas to transfer the opposition leader to Spain and to “ensure” security of the vehicle that took him from the residence of the Spanish ambassador, where he had been for weeks, to the airport.
Albares explained that “Spain’s position remains the same with Edmundo González in Caracas or Madrid”: “We will not recognize the alleged victory of Nicolas Maduro“We want the files to be delivered. An absolute red line that has guided us in granting asylum is to protect the political rights and physical integrity of political leaders.”
