Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez reiterated that Venezuela had “in-depth conversations” with Spain for the departure of opposition leader Edmundo Gonzálbez Urrutia from the country, while the Spanish government claims that there have been no “political negotiations” with a “counterpart” between the two countries.
“Conversations and extensive contacts have been held to operationalize the departure of the opponent González Urrutia from the country with all the guarantees offered by a safe passage, fruit of the agreement between the two governments,” Rodríguez said on his Telegram channel: “The forger is not a good advisor.
The Venezuelan leader thus responded to the statements of the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, on TVE, who denied the existence of negotiations with his counterparts, and insisted that the asylum and transfer to Madrid had been requested personally by Edmundo González and the Pedro Sánchez government granted it.
“There has been no political negotiation between the Spanish government and the Venezuelan government (…). The Spanish government is not providing any compensation for this departure of Edmundo González,” Albares said.
In this regard, the vice president stated that “the landing of a Spanish Air Force plane” where the anti-Chavismo leader traveled after “authorization from the Venezuelan aeronautical authorities” is a communication fact, without referring to his counterparts either.
Rodriguez, who called the minister’s statement “false,” insisted that Venezuela and Spain maintained “relevant contacts” and that, “in accordance with international legality,” the opponent had been granted safe conduct.
After 42 days of the presidential election, Albares reiterated his request to the electoral body to publish the results of the vote, as requested by several foreign governments, in order to clarify the disputed official result that gave Maduro the re-election and that the opposition describes as “fraudulent.”
Albares: “We are not going to recognize the so-called victory” of Maduro
“With Edmundo in Caracas or Madrid, we are not going to recognize the so-called victory” of Nicolas Maduro, Albares said this Monday in interviews with Onda Cero and Telecinco, in which he insisted that there was no compensation with the executive of Nicolas Maduro, only “operational contacts” so that González could leave Venezuela and challenged anyone who claims that there were negotiations to say so openly, in reference to the PP of Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
The minister stressed that they maintain the same position in Venezuela and that they will not deviate from their objective despite “the pressures, the insidious and even the lies” to exhaust the government.
For this reason, he stressed that they have not received conditions from Caracas and have not accepted them, reiterating the demand that the government of this Latin American country provide the electoral results.
Regarding how the fact that Edmundo González has found asylum in Spain will affect a possible recognition by the EU of the electoral victory claimed by the Venezuelan opposition, the minister recalled that he was very involved in the recognition of Juan Guaidó and that in the end it came to nothing.
Therefore, the current objective, Albares stressed, is to try to promote a negotiation between the Maduro government and the Venezuelan opposition to find a peaceful and democratic solution to this crisis.
The Spanish Foreign Minister says he sees options to promote this negotiation since the Venezuelan president is in office until January 10. As Albares explained, the only person he has spoken with is the opposition leader, who arrived this Sunday in Madrid on an Air Force plane, to confirm that he wanted to go to Spain, where he has requested political asylum.
Regarding the role played by former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in this operation, he said that a personality like him “is always useful and necessary,” recognizing his work as an interlocutor.
Albares stressed that González’s case was a humanitarian situation, since he was a 76-year-old person who was the subject of an arrest warrant, “but also a political one” and that the priority had always been to “guarantee his safety” and his rights.
