Venezuela's government will skip a round of Norway-brokered talks on Thursday and Friday to protest a new set of US sanctions meant to force President Nicolas Maduro from power, the Venezuelan information ministry said on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump on Monday imposed a freeze on Venezuelan government assets in the United States and blocked US citizens from conducting business with Maduro’s government, increasing pressure on him to quit.
Maduro’s government said its delegation was withdrawing from the round of talks in Barbados aimed at resolving Venezuela's political crisis with allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido.
The two sides began meeting there in July to seek a resolution to the political stalemate.
“Venezuelans have noted how the leader of the opposition delegation, Juan Guaido, has celebrated and promoted these actions that are harmful to national sovereignty,” the information ministry said in a statement.
“Venezuela is willing to review the mechanisms of this process such that its continuation is effective and in tune with the interests of the people,” the ministry added.
Legislator Stalin Gonzalez, a member of the opposition delegation, accused the government of backtracking on its commitment to the dialogue, which began in Oslo in May.
“They've spent days saying they believe in peace and in the Oslo mechanism, (but) they fear the possibility of true political change in the country,” Gonzalez wrote on Twitter.
Guaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela's legitimate leader, at a rally on Wednesday said the sanctions are “penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”
In January, Guaido invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds that Maduro's 2018 re-election was fraudulent.
He said on Wednesday that Maduro could help the country by abandoning the presidential palace, Miraflores, “that way the sanctions will be lifted tomorrow.”
Also Read
-
Maduro says he ‘repudiates’ Trump statement on possible Venezuela blockade
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday said he rejected US President Donald Trump’s statement about a possible blockade of the South ... World News -
Venezuela govt and opposition continue talks, says mediator Norway
The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition are continuing talks in Barbados to try to find ways to resolve the Latin ... World News -
IMF: Venezuela’s economic decline among most severe globally
The cumulative decline of the Venezuelan economy since 2013 will reach 65 percent, among the deepest five-year contractions around the world over the ... Economy
