The ally forgotten in a Brooklyn detention cell: Venezuela erases Nicolas Maduro from history
During five rounds of talks with the opposition, Delcy Rodriguez's government did not raise the demand for the release of the former president, who is imprisoned in the US and facing drug trafficking charges. The opposition claims that Maduro "simply does not exist at the negotiating table."
The Venezuelan government did not mention a single word about the release of the imprisoned former president, Nicolas Maduro, during nearly two weeks of negotiations with the opposition that took place this month. According to a report by the Financial Times, this is the clearest sign yet that the regime in Caracas has abandoned its former leader to his fate before the American judicial system.
In January, interim president Delcy Rodriguez still called the capture and smuggling of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores by US forces a "vile aggression." Her brother, who serves as the leader of the Venezuelan parliament, even declared that they would "not rest" until Maduro was released from his cell in a Brooklyn prison, where he faces heavy charges for drug trafficking. However, Rodriguez's government, which now enjoys American backing, surprised opposition representatives when it did not raise these demands at all during the five rounds of negotiations that ended last week.
"Maduro and Flores simply do not exist at the negotiating table," noted an opposition source. "They simply erased them from history."
The American administration has been backing Rodriguez since commando forces kidnapped the leader in a night raid on January 3. In return, Rodriguez opened the country's natural resources to foreign investors and granted American companies access to oil reserves. The talks with the opposition are now focused mainly on funding the reconstruction from the devastating earthquakes of June, while demanding the return of gold bars worth about four billion dollars stored in the Bank of England. Also, 131 political prisoners were released, although the human rights organization "Foro Penal" verified the release of only 78.
According to analysts quoted in the Financial Times, such a fate is not on the horizon for Maduro. From the government's point of view, "his fate is already sealed," explained Edward Rodriguez, a commentator from Venezuela. "They will let the case proceed while they focus on their only priority: survival."
The arrest of Nicolas Maduro and his transfer to the US (Photo: clash report)
Delcy Rodriguez, who previously demonstrated blind loyalty, is using the time to fortify her position. She replaced senior army commanders with her supporters, and billboards calling for Maduro's release were removed or completely erased across the country. While Maduro still enjoys support from the hard core of "Chavistas," who believe the president was betrayed by his inner circle and extradited to the US, the political process continues without him. The negotiations, by the way, also sparked controversy among the opposition, especially due to the sidelining of Nobel Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado. The Venezuelan government refused to comment on the reports.
