Following the deployment of US troops in the Southern Caribbean Sea, tensions between Venezuela and the United States continue to rise. This has also led to rumors of Colombia mediating to ease tensions, an idea that sources say is being pushed by a sector of the Venezuelan opposition.
EL TIEMPO spoke with Henrique Capriles, who, in response to allegations that he leads this coalition to secure Colombian mediation, asserted that they are untrue. In fact, he says that Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico can build bridges to resolve the political crisis in Venezuela.
Although Capriles, a newly elected deputy to the National Assembly, claims he is not making such arrangements, two sources told this newspaper that approaches have been made to U.S. representatives to secure Colombian mediation.
There are rumors that opposition groups are seeking to have Colombia mediate between Venezuela and the United States, and that you are one of those involved. Is this information true?
I think this is false information. I don't believe there is any mediation taking place between Colombia and the United States at this time, because it also seems that there is a rather cold relationship between the Trump administration and the Colombian government.
Can Colombia play a role in the situation between Venezuela and the United States?
Colombia can play a role, just like Brazil, just like Mexico, just like other left-wing governments.
Are you involved in any contact between the governments of Colombia and the United States?
Who am I to have influence in the Colombian government or in the government of any other country? What I do have are positions that I'm not afraid to express, nor am I afraid of the blackmail that they'll attack if I express an opinion different from that of a sector of the opposition. I will continue to express my positions because I don't engage in politics for applause.
I don't fall into either the government's propaganda apparatus or that sector of the opposition.
The United States is deploying troops to the Caribbean. There's also talk of an attack against Venezuela. What's your opinion on this?
Most of those voices (those calling for an invasion) aren't in the country. That is, they're sheltered. It seems they don't care what happens. They remained silent about the elimination of TPS, applauding innocent Venezuelans ending up in prison in El Salvador. I decided to say the things that need to be said.
What is Donald Trump looking for with Venezuela?
Trump is seeking to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Beyond the economic aspect, he wants to be remembered as a president who brought peace to the world. He speaks with Putin, Kim Jong-un, and Xi Jinping—none of them democratic leaders.
I think that in terms of finding a negotiated and agreed-upon solution that will bring stability to Venezuela, a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Maduro should take place. Can Petro, Lula, and Sheinbaum help with that? I think so. I'm convinced that a face-to-face meeting with Maduro is more likely to achieve agreements that mean good things for Venezuelans.
Now, we're not talking about the economy or salaries, but about military enlistment and war in Venezuela. Those who suffer in this situation are the Venezuelans who live in the country. I imagine that these people from that sector of the opposition, if Mandela were alive, would have already said he was a traitor, a collaborator, and a Maduro supporter.
What does this so-called radical opposition do?
Notice that these people no longer talk about the voting records, they no longer talk about the election they stole a year ago; they stopped demanding the records. They stopped demanding that the election results be published. Now it's the issue of Venezuela being a drug-producing country. The narrative of the Aragua Train, that all Venezuelans in the United States were suspects.
How do you see the outcome of this situation between Venezuela and the United States?
I will continue to insist wherever I can that negotiations must be sought and that the United States, the Trump administration, and the Maduro regime must sit down face to face, thinking about the future and the stability of the region.
A bad peace agreement is never better than a war; a bad peace agreement will always be better than a war. You know when a war starts, but you never know when it ends. The best example is Colombia. How many years was Colombia at war? How much did the war cost in human lives?
Have you had any contact with the US delegation in Colombia, with McNamara (in charge of the US diplomatic mission in Bogotá)?
I know Ambassador McNamara; I've spoken with him. All the lobbying efforts of this extremist faction, trying to sell the idea that we, those of us who hold this position, were bought off by the Maduro regime, have been unsuccessful.
That opposition sector has made efforts to have me sanctioned by selling the idea that I collaborate with Maduro. No, here Maduro stole the elections; there is a de facto government, but it holds the power.
And who do you negotiate with? With those in power. The United States should negotiate with Maduro, not with María Corina or Edmundo.
