The United States lifted sanctions against the “president in charge” of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, a few hours after three months of the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro by North American special forces. The name of his replacement was removed from the “List of Specially Designated Nationals” from the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury. A sign, for analysts, that a trip by Rodríguez to Washington, suggested some time ago by US authorities, could take place before the promised presence of Donald Trump in Venezuelan territory.
The Treasury Department had blacklisted the “acting president” eight years ago. The assessment of his performance in these three months by Trump and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubioseems to have been decisive for Rodríguez to regain respectability in the eyes of Washington.
The novelty at one point did not cause surprise. It is considered the consequence of a series of previous movements that include the economic measures adopted by the National Assembly (AN), among them the reform of the Hydrocarbons Law, the oil exploration permits granted by the US to several North American and foreign companies, as well as the political decisions that have included everything from the Amnesty Law to a reorganization of the Armed Forces that included the de facto dismissal of the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López. Washington had also recognized Rodríguez in March as the Venezuelan executive authority.
The fact that the announcement about Rodríguez came just one day after Rubio met with the Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, did not fail to draw attention. They both took a photo smiling. The Nobel Peace Prize winner predicted that “The day is approaching when we will reunite our families in Venezuela.” Beyond the image, Machado left the meeting without any definition of political weight that would benefit her.
“Patience”
In fact, Rubio himself later went to a Fox channel studio and asked for “patience” for those who ask that the transition be accelerated in Venezuela because the South American country is in a “recovery phase.” Therefore, “The time has not yet come to think about elections.” The head of Trump’s diplomacy also praised the “economic recovery that is good for the United States” of the country that was the subject of a military intervention on January 3. “They’re transporting all that oil to our refineries, and that money, the profits, are deposited in bank accounts controlled by the United States Treasury. The money goes to the benefit of the Venezuelan people, it is not stolen.” He also highlighted the “hundreds of political prisoners released.”
Rubio’s words had in turn been preceded with the formal resumption of operations at the United States Embassy in Caracas, which had been closed in 2019. This “marks a new chapter in our diplomatic presence.”
In this context, Reuters reported that the “president in charge” is preparing to take control of the boards of directors of the US subsidiaries of the state oil company PDVSA, including Citgo Petroleum. The so-called jewel in the crown of Venezuela’s foreign assets had been managed since 2019 by supervisory boards appointed by a Congress led by the opposition to Nicolás Maduro that is no longer active. “Treasury officials have already reached out to members of Citgo’s current board to inform them that new members appointed by Rodriguez are expected to be cleared, provided they are approved by Washington.” The State Department must also agree to the appointments and provide policy guidance to OFAC.
Weeks ago, the PDVSA board had ratified Asdrúbal Chávez, cousin of the late President Hugo Chávezas head of all its subsidiaries in the United States. But Chavez, who had previously been denied a U.S. visa to run Citgo from Houston, has not effectively run the companies in more than seven years.
