Page 7 - aruba-today-20220518

A7
WORLD NEWS Wednesday 18 May 2022

U.S. to ease a few economic sanctions against Venezuela

By REGINA GARCIA CANO der for them to be able to use the drug trade as a pany to do business in Ven- PDVSA or ... Venezuela’s oil
Associated Press return to the negotiating “weapon against Ameri- ezuela, where it first invest- sector. So, fundamentally,
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) what they are doing is just
— The United States gov- allowed to talk.”
ernment is moving to ease Chevron did not immedi-
a few economic sanc- ately respond to a request
tions on Venezuela in a for comment Tuesday. The
gesture meant to encour- company’s investments in
age resumed negotiations Venezuela’s oil fields and
between the U.S.-backed machinery over the last
opposition and the govern- century had an estimated
ment of President Nicolás value of $2.6 billion as of
Maduro. 2020.
The limited changes will al- Venezuela sits atop the
low Chevron Corp. to ne- world’s largest oil reserves,
gotiate its license with the yet its political upheaval
state-owned oil company, and economic decline
PDVSA, but not to drill or ex- have pushed more than 6
port any petroleum of Ven- million people to migrate in
ezuelan origin, two senior recent years.
U.S. government officials About three quarters of
told The Associated Press those who remain live on
late Monday. The officials less than $1.90 a day, con-
spoke under the condition sidered the international
of anonymity because the Children play on the letter “P” that is part of the acronym for the state-run oil company Petroleos standard for extreme pov-
formal announcement had de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) on the sidewalk in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 2, 2022. erty, and many lack access
not been made. Associated Press to clean, running water
Additionally, Carlos Erik Mal- and electricity.
pica-Flores a former high- table,” one of the officials ca.” ed in the 1920s. Its four joint The U.S. and other coun-
ranking PDVSA official and said. Venezuela’s government ventures with PDVSA pro- tries withdrew recognition
nephew of Venezuela’s first Scores of Venezuelans, in- suspended talks with the duced about 200,000 bar- of Maduro after accusing
lady will be removed from cluding the country’s attor- opposition in October after rels a day in 2019, but the him of rigging his 2018 re-
a list of sanctioned individu- ney general and the head the extradition to the U.S. U.S. government ordered it election as president. In
als, they said. of the penitentiary system, of a key Maduro ally on in 2020 to wind down pro- his place, they recognized
The moves follow goodwill and more than 140 entities, money laundering charg- duction, and since then, it Juan Guaidó, who was
gestures by Maduro after among them Venezuela’s es. Maduro at the time has only been allowed to head of the then-opposi-
meeting in March with rep- Central Bank, will remain conditioned his return to carry out essential work on tion-dominated congress
resentatives of the admin- sanctioned. the negotiating table on oil wells to preserve its as- and remains the leader of
istration of President Joe The Treasury Department the release from custody sets and employment lev- the Unitary Platform.
Biden and a recent gather- will continue to prohibit of businessman Alex Saab, els in Venezuela. For the past five years, the
ing in Central America be- transactions with the Ven- who was extradited from The change allows “Chev- U.S. has used punishing fi-
tween U.S. officials and the ezuelan government and the African nation of Cape ron to negotiate the terms nancial and personal sanc-
main Unitary Platform op- PDVSA within U.S. financial Verde. of the potential future ac- tions, criminal indictments
position coalition to discuss markets. The negotiations took tivities in Venezuela,” a and support for clandestine
a path forward. Maduro himself is under place in Mexico City under senior U.S. official told re- groups in an unsuccess-
“These are things that ... indictment in the United the guidance of Norwe- porters Tuesday. “It does ful campaign to remove
the Unitary Platform nego- States, accused of con- gian diplomats. not allow entry into any Maduro and restore what it
tiated and came to us to spiring “to flood the United California-based Chevron agreement with PDVSA or sees as Venezuela’s stolen
request that we do in or- States with cocaine” and is the last major U.S. oil com- any other activity involving democracy.q