Venezuela: US Officials in Talks With Nicolas Maduro Admin in Bid to Free Jailed Americans, Rebuild Ties

The United States has sent hostage affairs envoy Roger Carstens and ambassador James Story to Caracas in a bid to bring home American citizens detained in Venezuela and rebuild relations.

According to a U.S. State Department spokesperson, the delegation went to Venezuela for a welfare trip. The jailed American citizens include a group of oil executives from Houston-based petroleum company Citgo and a former U.S. Marine.

The Associated Press reported that in a televised remark, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro confirmed the visit from the American delegation. Maduro said that National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez received the U.S. delegation.

He noted that both sides are continuing the communications between the two governments, which began on March 5, when the U.S. first sent Carstens and Story, along with the National Security Council director for the Western Hemisphere, Juan Gonzalez, on a surprise trip to Caracas.

That marked the first White House trip to Venezuela in over two decades, and it resulted in the release of two American prisoners, whom the U.S. said were unjustly detained.

U.S. Willing to Resume Relations With Venezuela After Years of Hostilities

Before the surprise trip by U.S. diplomats in March, U.S.-Venezuelan relations had been frosty at best. It escalated when Nicolas Maduro won re-election in 2018, and the U.S. and its allies refused to recognize him as the legitimate winner.

The U.S. insisted that opposition leader Juan Guaidó was the legitimate winner of the elections, leading to further hostilities between the two governments.

As the meetings began, it was unclear what other issues aside from freeing prisoners were on the agenda. However, according to the Associated Press, the lifting of oil sanctions is high up on the list.

U.S. Diplomats Also Met With Rival of Nicolas Maduro

But while the U.S. delegation met with the Maduro government, a representative from the opposition who wished to stay anonymous told the Associated Press that James Story also spoke with Juan Guaidó shortly after arriving in Caracas.

The AP reported that negotiations between Nicolas Maduro and the opposition have yet to resume. And Story and Guaidó reportedly talked about jumpstarting the negotiations in Mexico.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden spoke with Guaidó and affirmed that the U.S. still recognizes him as Venezuela's interim president.

In a statement released via the official White House website, Biden expressed his support for the Venezuelan leader and said he was willing to calibrate the U.S. sanctions policy.

The second trip of the U.S. delegation to Venezuela came after a public plea to the Biden administration from the family of Matthew Heath. According to Reuters, Heath is a former U.S. Marine and was arrested in Venezuela due to what the U.S. calls "trumped-up terror charges."

His family called on the Biden administration to act after an apparent suicide attempt from the imprisoned American. The trip also comes as U.S. interest in Venezuelan oil has increased following a 50% jump in oil prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: U.S. Delegation Arrives in Venezuela to Continue Dialogue Process - From TeleSUR English