By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 17, 2024 — The U.S. State Department today announced that after a careful review of the current situation in Venezuela, the United States determined that Nicolas Maduro and his representatives have not fully met the commitments made under the electoral roadmap agreement, which was signed by Maduro representatives and the opposition in Barbados in October 2023, and therefore, General License 44, which authorizes transactions related to oil or gas sector operations in Venezuela, will expire at 12:01 AM on April 18.
“Despite delivering on some of the commitments made under the Barbados electoral roadmap, we are concerned that Maduro and his representatives prevented the democratic opposition from registering the candidate of their choice, harassed and intimidated political opponents, and unjustly detained numerous political actors and members of civil society,” the State Department statement said. “We again call on Maduro to allow all candidates and parties to participate in the electoral process and release all political prisoners without restrictions or delay.”
In order to implement an orderly process following the expiration of General License 44, the statement said the United States “will issue a 45-day wind-down license,” adding that the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control “also will consider requests for specific licenses to continue activities beyond the end of the wind-down period on a case-by-case basis.”
“We will continue to support Venezuelans’ aspirations for a more democratic, stable, and prosperous Venezuela,” the statement said. “We and our partners in the international community urge Maduro to uphold all the commitments made under the electoral roadmap established by the signatories of the Barbados Agreement.”
Reuters reported on December 14, 2023, that Guyana and Venezuela agreed to avoid any use of force and to not escalate tensions in their long-running dispute over the oil-rich Esequibo area after a meeting between their heads of state in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) region is generally recognized as part of Guyana, but in recent years Venezuela has revived its claim to the territory and to offshore areas after major oil and gas discoveries.
The two countries said in a joint statement back in December 2023 that they “will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances” and “will refrain, whether by words or deeds, from escalating any conflict or disagreement,” according to Reuters.
