Spotlight: Venezuela-U.S. high-level meeting could mend damaged ties

The meeting between Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday seemed to have raised hopes for improving the relations between the two longtime foes.

However, analysts believe that recent U.S. moves against Venezuela are part of "the second phase of an international siege" to stifle the South American country amid its political and economic crises.

HOPES?

Speaking to reporters in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, where regional countries gathered for the 46th general assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), Kerry said the U.S. agreed to hold high-level talks with Venezuela.

"I have committed myself to seeing if this works, so let's see if we can improve bilateral ties," Kerry said.

Rodriguez and Kerry met on the sidelines of the Assembly.

"They spoke of matters of great interest about the quality of the relationship, and the meeting produced positive signs from both sides that it is possible, with patience, discretion and diplomacy, to resume quality ties between the two countries," said Roy Chaderton, former Venezuelan ambassador to the OAS, who is now in charge of international affairs for Venezuela's ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV).

Franklin Gonzalez, former Venezuelan ambassador to Greece, added that "the U.S. and Venezuela have always met and fallen out. I hope this new attempt can be maintained and formal relations can be re-established."

Washington and Caracas have not sent ambassadors to each other capitals since 2008. Ties also worsened in March 2016, when U.S. President Barack Obama extended an executive order labeling Venezuela a threat to the national security of the Untied States.

After the Tuesday meeting, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hailed this diplomatic effort and repeated his desire to negotiate with the U.S., as long as Venezuela's sovereignty and right to self-determination was respected.

"Even though I have been proposing this to Obama for three years, I welcome dialogue...and the end of conspiracies against Venezuela. I am in favor of accelerating these high-level contacts," said Maduro.

The president also called on the U.S. to name an ambassador to Caracas, thus "normalizing" ties between the two countries, adding that this "should be done on the basis of mutual respect."

"This is the right path for Venezuela, a path of diplomacy and closeness. However, we cannot underestimate that our country is the target of attacks...and must remain ready and alert," Gonzalez noted.

SANCTIONS

In recent weeks, however, the U.S. has manifested its interest in joining a dialogue between the Venezuela government and the opposition, which is currently led by former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and former presidents of Panama and the Dominican Republic, Martin Torrijos and Leonel Fernandez.

Still, in his address to the OAS on Tuesday, Kerry said Washington backed a call by Venezuela's right wing to hold a recall referendum to oust Maduro.

Jose Antonio Egido, professor of sociology at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela, told Xinhua in a recent interview that the U.S. is increasing political pressure on Maduro, adding this is part of "the second phase of an international siege" by the U.S. to stifle the South American country amid its political and economic crises.

"Since the Maduro government has not fallen despite an economic crisis, the U.S. is taking actions through the local opposition and manipulating the Organization of American States," said Egido.

At the end of last May, OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro called for invoking the body's Inter-American Democratic Charter (IDC) against Venezuela. However, the attempt was thwarted by OAS members at a special OAS session held in early June and an appeal for further dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the opposition was made.

Egido said the United States named Venezuela in its Country Reports on Terrorism 2015 issued in early June, accusing the country of allowing listed Colombian rebel groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army to operate from bases on its territory.

Egido noted that in this "more aggressive" second phase of an "international siege," the U.S. is also piling up financial pressure so that "no country lends money to Venezuela."

It "seeks an eventual asphyxiation of Venezuela, which the government is continuing to resist," he added.

In March, Obama renewed an executive order for another year, which he signed in March 2015 to declare Venezuela a national security threat, saying Venezuela's political situation "has not improved."

Extending the decree that imposes sanctions against Venezuela, Obama said the Venezuelan government continues to undermine human rights guarantees by "persecuting" political opponents, curbing press freedom and fueling violent protests.

The sanctions includes the seizure of assets and suspension of visas.

In protest, Venezuela then recalled its top diplomat to the United States.

Venezuelan political analyst Alberto Aranguibel told Xinhua in a former interview that the White House executive order labeling Venezuela as "an unusual and extraordinary threat to national security" was driven by ulterior motives.

Aranguibel said it's unreasonable to consider "a small country like Venezuela, with no nuclear weapons or a powerful army," a threat to the world's largest power.

"It's absurd (to think) Venezuela can be a threat to the United States," said Tony Boza, author of "La guerra contra el pueblo (The War Against the People)."

"That country's war budget is 1.5 times larger than Venezuela's entire gross domestic product, it's practically 30 times larger than our international reserves," he said.

The U.S. has mounted an aggressive campaign against Venezuela to "obtain underground resources," such as oil and minerals, he added.

The decree is part of the "pretexts" the U.S. has historically used to "invade" other countries, Boza said. Endi