Maduro: Venezuela Has Been in Contact With US for Months

Guaido: Comment proves disorganized government lies

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has responded to recent reports of “secret” US contact with senior Venezuelan officials by saying that he has authorized such contact with the US for months, trying to resolve tensions.

The reports suggested that the US was seeking contacts with senior Maduro officials trying to assure them of safety if they facilitated a US-imposed regime change in the country, that would allow them to flee abroad.

US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido said that Maduro’s comments proved that the government is disorganized and lies. It’s not clear he is claiming that the US-Venezuela talks are not happening, however.

The amount of US contact with the Venezuelan government is unclear since the US-endorsed regime change earlier this year. Despite US condemnation of the talks in Norway, it has since been revealed that the US participated, at least in part, seeking new elections in Venezuela.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.