CARACAS: Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez solidified her new authorities Monday, appointing a number of cupboard members and assembly with Washington’s new high diplomat in Caracas to handle the nation’s “transition” after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro.
Laura Dogu, Washington’s cost d’affaires in Venezuela, mentioned on X she spoke with Rodriguez about US plans for “stabilization, financial restoration, reconciliation and transition.”
It was not instantly clear what Dogu meant by a “transition.” Maduro had been in energy since 2013 till US forces raided the nation and captured him, however a lot of his authorities stays in place.
Venezuela’s International Minister Yvan Gil mentioned after the assembly the diplomatic focus going ahead would contain “addressing the variations and historic controversies between the USA and Venezuela.”
“We reviewed the frequent agenda, particularly on power, commerce, and politics,” he added.
Staffing up cupboard
Along with assembly with Dogu, Rodriguez made a number of key appointments to her presidential cupboard, together with tapping former international minister Felix Plasencia to guide Venezuela’s diplomatic mission in the USA.
“Very quickly we’ll have our diplomatic consultant, Felix Plasencia, in Washington to speed up diplomatic work, political work, and the work of growing our frequent agenda,” Gil mentioned.
Plasencia’s appointment marks a pivotal change in diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington, which had been severed in 2019 after the USA refused to acknowledge Maduro’s reelection and as an alternative supported a parallel authorities led by then-opposition chief Juan Guaido.
Rodriguez additionally appointed Daniella Cabello — the daughter of Venezuela’s highly effective inside minister, Diosdado Cabello — as her cupboard’s tourism minister.
The elder Cabello was extensively thought-about to be Venezuela’s second-most highly effective determine after Maduro, and his backing for Rodriguez’s authorities is seen as vital.
Cabello pledged the police’s assist for Rodriguez when she turned the nation’s chief after Maduro was arrested in a lethal US navy operation final month and whisked away to New York to face trial on drug fees.
The appointments come weeks after Rodriguez, previously the vp, cleared ranks among the many nation’s high navy brass, appointing 12 senior officers to regional instructions.
Amongst these she dismissed was businessman Alex Saab, the minister of trade underneath Maduro and an in depth ally of the previous president.
Venezuelan opposition chief Maria Corina Machado in the meantime informed reporters throughout a video name Monday that she can be keen to fulfill with Rodriguez “if it is necessary” to be able to set up a “transition timeline.”
“If it is necessary to change concepts in a gathering to outline a transition timeline, it should occur,” she mentioned in response to a transcript.
Nonetheless, she added that Rodriguez’s interim authorities “remains to be the mafia. They might have one other identify, however they’re the mafia.”
