Washington Discusses Lifting Sanctions on Venezuela and Urges Its Citizens to Leave

SadaNews - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Pisent stated that additional U.S. sanctions imposed on Venezuela could be lifted in a matter of days to facilitate oil sales, indicating that he would meet later with the heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to discuss their re-engagement with Venezuela.

Pisent added, in an interview with Reuters, that nearly $5 billion in Special Drawing Rights assets belonging to the IMF, currently frozen in Venezuela, could be employed to help rebuild the country's economy.

During a visit to an engineering facility affiliated with Winnebago Industries, Pisent explained, "We will lift the sanctions on the oil that will be sold."

He noted that the Treasury Department is considering implementing changes that would greatly facilitate the return of proceeds from the sale of oil stored on ships back to Venezuela.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department urged its citizens on Saturday not to travel to Venezuela and those currently in the country to "leave immediately," considering the security situation to be "unstable."

The department, in its statement, reported that information indicated "armed groups, known as colectivos, are setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States."

Protests

Thousands of supporters of detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gathered in a massive demonstration in the streets of the capital, Caracas, marking a week since he was arrested by U.S. forces.

The protesters raised banners bearing images of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during the solidarity demonstration.

The Venezuelan government announced on Friday that it has begun to explore the possibility of expanding diplomatic relations with the United States.

The government stated in a statement that Venezuela "has decided to initiate a diplomatic process characterized by exploration with the U.S. government, aimed at re-establishing diplomatic representation in both countries." It explained that a Venezuelan delegation will visit the United States for assessments.

The U.S. State Department mentioned that U.S. officials discussed a "gradual resumption" of embassy operations in Venezuela in South America.

Both Washington and Caracas have expressed their willingness to cooperate following the U.S. military operation that took place last week, resulting in the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with his deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, temporarily assuming the presidency.

Source: Agencies