The Daily Journal — Opposition leader María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia acknowledged on Sunday that they are not taking part in the dialogue table the United States promoted between Venezuela’s 2015 National Assembly and representatives of the ruling party. Despite remaining outside the initiative, both leaders said they will closely monitor the process, follow its progress with expectation, and closely evaluate its results. They also announced their intention to return to Venezuela in the future, although they did not specify a date, and said they will not oppose the negotiations.
Distance from the talks and expectations
In a joint statement, Machado and González addressed Venezuelans and the international community to reaffirm the mandate of July 28, 2024. In the letter, they formally distanced themselves from the dialogue mechanism.
They explained that they did not help design or establish the negotiating forum. They also said, “It is not our responsibility to explain its scope,” and urged those leading the initiative to account for its methods and objectives.
Although the U.S. administration left them outside the proposal, the opposition leaders stressed that they will not hinder the effort. They said they will not become “an obstacle to any initiative that delivers real progress”. They added that they will judge the process by the restoration of democratic institutions, the release of political prisoners, guarantees of inclusive political participation, and the establishment of an electoral timetable.
National situation and plans to return
The statement also assessed the humanitarian crisis that worsened after the earthquakes that struck on June 24. Machado and González denounced irregularities and obstacles affecting the distribution of aid organized by civil society for disaster victims. They argued that rebuilding the country requires leadership with “managerial capacity and moral authority.”
Finally, they reaffirmed the proposals set out in the Panama Manifesto to advance the Grand National Agreement for the Reconstruction of the Republic. “We are going to return to Venezuela to stand alongside the people we serve,” they said, reaffirming their intention to resume their work inside the country.
