Article Authors:
Reuters
Matt Spetalnick and Vivian Sequera
Washington / Karakas — A U.S. delegation led by President Joe Biden's hostage negotiator was detained there, according to U.S. officials. Any American.
Hostage ambassador Roger Kirstens meets with Venezuelan officials this week to demand the delivery of prisoners and ask President Nicolas Maduro's government to resume deadlocked negotiations with national opposition. I was a member of the group I worked on. Matter.
Kirstens and Venezuela's US Ambassador to the United States, Matthew Heath, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, was hospitalized after his family stated that he had attempted suicide for nearly two years last week. Specially focused on. Of imprisonment.
US officials have been allowed to visit Heath, a military hospital in Venezuela, sources said.
Heath has at least eight people known to be detained in Venezuela, including five executives from Citgo Petroleum, a U.S.-based unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA. I'm one of the Americans.
The visit did not lead to liberation, but after years of hostility between the United States and OPEC member Venezuela during the Russian war with Ukraine, which hit the world's oil supply. It was the latest sign of a dilute re-engagement.
This week's talks did not include Venezuela's oil sector under US sanctions since 2019, sources familiar with the matter said.
A State Department spokesman confirmed the departure of Carstens and Story. "This trip focused on discussions about the welfare and security of Americans illegally detained in Venezuela and urged their release," a spokesman said, Carstens said detainees "their well-being." I appreciate it. "
Heath's aunt, Toldi Rutherford, said in a statement on behalf of the family that despite Curstens' "best efforts", US delegations "Matthew's emergency medical evacuation. I couldn't secure it. "
Heath was arrested on suspicion of terrorism in 2020, but he denied it. US officials said Heath was not sent from Washington and accused Venezuela of detaining him on suspicion of truncation.
In March, a White House-led delegation, including Karstens, met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and was one of the topics discussing the possibility of easing US sanctions. ..
Venezuela soon promised to release two Americans (former Citgo executives and Cuban Americans) and resume talks with opponents in Mexico. Maduro has not yet agreed on a date to return to the negotiation table.
However, since the visit in March, the Biden administration has taken some steps to slightly soften Venezuela's policies.
Republicans and some of Biden's fellow Democrats have criticized the US approach for being too reconciliation to Maduro. (Report by Matt Spetalnick, edited by Richard Pullin)
