Sánchez admitted this Friday that He did not tell the truth to Congress or the Senate when he gave his explanation, in February 2020, on the Delcy visit.
From Rome, the president of the government recognized that Jose Luis Abalos had previously informed him of the trip of the vice-president of Nicolas Maduroas revealed in the UCO report published by EL ESPAÑOL. Then he said it was “an impromptu visit”and that the minister – applauded in Congress for having avoided its disapproval – had avoided “a diplomatic crisis” by reacting at dawn to prevent Rodríguez from setting foot on Spanish soil.
Conclusions of the CAE of June 25, 2018 in which Spain voted to sanction Delcy Rodríguez.
The latest UCO report on Koldo affair reveals that Ábalos informed Sánchez at least four days before Delcy arrived in Madrid on January 20, 2020, a year and a half after his government made its EU debut by voting in favor of its sanction.
However, the president claims that after authorizing Ábalos to organize the three-day visit of the number two of Maduro, “the Spanish government realized” that “there were some individual sanctions“ it weighed on him. And that’s when “the visit has been cancelled”.
According to the official Council conclusions document of June 25, 2018, the Twenty-Seven decided to “extend” the sanctions already applied to the dictatorial regime of Maduro in Venezuela, given that “The elections held in Venezuela on May 20, 2018 were neither free nor fair”. And that, therefore, “taking into account the situation”, it was appropriate “to include eleven people on the list of natural and legal persons, entities and organizations subject to restrictive measures”.
Dolors Montserratleader of the PP in the European Parliament, accused Sánchez of “lying” when “he says today that he learned of the EU sanctions against Delcy Rodríguez after giving his ‘ok’ to Ábalos to receive it”.
Unanimity and reasons
The treaties establish that sanctions “are a essential instrument of the common foreign and security policy of the EU”. This diplomatic tool “allows the EU to respond to global challenges and events contrary to its objectives and values”.
For the Union to act in this way, “the Council of the European Union decides on sanctions unanimously” of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, members of the CAE. In this case, the proposal came from the High Representative at the time, the Italian Federica Mogheriniand included eleven Bolivarian leaders.
The reasons everyone voted for to sanction Delcy was that the vice president of Venezuela “was president of the illegitimate Constituent Assembly and was a member of the Presidential Commission of the said Assembly. Her actions within the Presidential Commission and then as president of the illegitimate Constituent Assembly have mine democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela, notably through usurpation of the powers of the National Assembly and its use for attack the opposition and prevent their participation in the political process.
CELAC summit, bad excuse
In her defense, Sánchez indicated that Delcy Rodríguez herself had participated “in person”, in July 2023, in the summit between the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). As if the Union itself had broken its rules on this occasion.
However, This is not a valid excusefor two reasons. The first, because the invitation to number two of Maduro was led by the current Spanish Presidency of the EUwho sponsored the event. And the second, because The sanctions regime contemplates this exceptionexpressly, for this type of summit.
He article 6.3.a. excludes sanctioned persons from the entry or transit ban when a Member State acts “as host country of an international intergovernmental organization”.
The truth is that the Spanish government could have taken advantage of another of the exemptions provided for by the Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/2074of November 13, 2017, concerning restrictive measures taking into account the situation in Venezuela, which is the original text.
And it was very simple, because even corresponds to one of the reasons for which, according to the original letter which Victor de Aldama pre-written for Ábalos, Delcy was invited to Spain.
Encabezamiento de la carta de Ábalos a Decy, preparada por Aldama.
La misiva decía, textualmente, que se la quería traer para hablar sobre “las posibilidades que tiene ahora mismo Venezuela para salir de las sanciones, del intercambio de productos Españoles, así como colaborar en ser participes de realizar unas elecciones Democraticas en Venezuela […] Ending with help Spanish businesses who might be in the country now as well as those who might join in the future.
and the section 6.6 of the EU sanctions regime against Venezuela provides that “Member States may grant exemptions” […] when the trip is justified [por] a political dialogue that directly promotes democracyhuman rights and the rule of law in Venezuela.
Point out Ábalos
Rodríguez was arrested in the Barajas transit zone and forced to take off at dawn. But The government has already failed to comply with the EU sanctions regime.which prevents even designated persons from flying over European soil.
The head of the Executive affirmed, in his statement to the press after the audience with the Pope, that visits by foreign ministers or vice-presidents are “very daily and very diligent”and that as soon as they learned of the sanctions, the visit did not take place. “It is the participation of the Spanish government” in this episode, he defended.
Pedro Sánchez makes a statement in Rome this Friday after his audience with the Pope.
However, since Delcy Rodríguez landed at Barajas airport and Ábalos met him there, Sánchez emphasizes that “any other issues related to alleged criminal practices” will have to be resolved by “those involved.”
“But, from the point of view of the Spanish government, what I want to tell you is that we acted when it was found that there were individual sanctions against the vice president of the government of Venezuela,” he insisted.
