“Spain has absolutely nothing to do with any negotiation or document.” Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares denied that the Spanish government or ambassador in Caracas participated in any type of “political negotiation” with the government of Nicolas Maduro to allow the departure of the opposition Edmundo González from Venezuela. The head of diplomacy assured that the candidate of the United Platform could have remained at the residence of the Spanish ambassador for as long as necessary and demanded that the PP respect his “decision” at the same time as he asked Alberto Núñez Feijóo to “disavow” MEP Esteban González Pons for having “slandered and insulted” Spain.
“The government did not participate in any type of negotiation between Edmundo González and the government of Venezuela. It did not participate in the drafting, design or elaboration of any type of document that could have been established between Edmundo González and the government. The government did not participate in any political negotiation,” the minister said in statements to journalists in Brussels regarding the document that the opposition candidate signed at the ambassador’s residence in the presence of Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
“No one has asked the Spanish government, and we would not have accepted it, for any compensation so that Edmundo González can be happy (…) today in a free Spain,” concluded Albares, who did not specify when the government became aware of the existence of this document at the same time as he explained that the ambassador was present because they were in the “same space” since there was only one room.
What the minister implied was that Edmundo González’s meeting with members of Nicolas Maduro’s government took place of his own free will, in response to the Venezuelan opposition’s complaint that he had signed the document “under duress.”
“The Spanish ambassador had precise instructions not to hinder Edmundo González’s freedom to be able to speak, manage and meet with whoever he wanted. Our goal is that the decision he made is the one he wanted,” explained Albares, who said he personally ensured this in telephone conversations with the opposition candidate.
“He insisted that he wanted to come to Spain,” said Albares, who said the work of Spanish diplomacy was limited to “landing the air force planes in Caracas and ensuring that there were security guarantees so that the ambassador’s car could arrive safely at the airport.
