U.S.-Russia talks on Venezuela stall over role of Maduro

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS MARCH 19, 2019 / 11:59 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

U.S.-Russia talks on Venezuela stall over role of Maduro

Philip Pullella
3 MIN READ

ROME (Reuters) - High-level U.S.-Russian talks on how to defuse Venezuela’s crisis ended on Tuesday with the two sides still at odds over the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro.

Russia has said Maduro remains the country’s only legitimate leader whereas the United States and many other Western countries back Juan Guaido, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly who invoked a constitutional provision in January to assume an interim presidency.

“No, we did not come to a meeting of minds, but I think the talks were positive in the sense that both sides emerged with a better understanding of the other’s views,” U.S. special representative Elliot Abrams told reporters.

The Russian side also said the two sides now understood their respective standpoints better after the two-hour talks in Rome but Moscow’s delegation chief, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was blunter.

“Perhaps we failed to narrow positions on this situation...,” Russian state news agency TASS quoted Ryabkov as saying. “We assume that Washington treats our priorities seriously, our approach and warnings.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-usa-russia/u-s-russia-talks-on-venezuela-stall-over-role-of-maduro-idUSKCN1R022B

[Ghost Dog]

1. Russia is ready for specialized contacts on Venezuela

ROME, March 19. /TASS/. Russia is ready for specialized contacts on Venezuela with the United States, although the most important thing is not the format but the dialogue on the situation in the Latin American country, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Tuesday following consultations with US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams.

"We are ready to continue the dialogue with the US on the issue, because the seriousness of the situation leaves no room for error," he said. "We need to understand each other’s intentions as accurately as possible."...

... Ryabkov is certain that the United States has groundwork for the use of military force in Venezuela. "We cannot view the US wordings that all options for resolving the situation in Venezuela are on the table as rhetoric. This is a statement of fact," he said. "Consequently, Washington apparently has plans to this effect, has groundwork for the use of military force to resolve the situation in Venezuela in the worst case scenario."

Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas on January 23...

More: http://tass.com/politics/1049439

So, who's stalling?

[MRubio]

2. So, who's stalling?

Unfortunately, I think everyone is because everyone believes it gives them an edge.

The US and Guaido seem to believe that current sanctions are slowly strangling Maduro et al and that he'll eventually be pushed out by the military. Personally, I think they're wrong.

Russia, of course, is not concerned about military intervention on the part of the US as they claim because they themselves use it wherever they feel it suits their needs. They're concerned they're going to get screwed on the billions they've loaned to Maduro without the AN's approval and they may be correct. At this point I suspect there's zero guarantee Guaido would actually honor those loans.

Time is one Maduro's side. Yes, he and his criminal cronies are doing with less these days because of the sanctions, but it's still more than any of them would ever see in their lifetimes working honestly. Time gives Maduro the room he needs to figure out how to keep the troops in line, gives them all time to continue exploiting the population by selling food that's more costly than that bought in first world countries, and then, of course, there's gold that's being illegally mined and smuggled out of the country.

I believe many at the top of Maduro's circle believe the end of the regime basically means the end of their lives. They likely won't go down without a fight.