Venezuela: Gov't Includes Alex Saab in Dialogue with Opposition

The president of the National Assembly and head of the Venezuelan government's dialogue delegation, Jorge Rodríguez, informed this Tuesday that diplomat Alex Saab would join the negotiation process taking place in Mexico.

"We inform of the decision to incorporate diplomat Alex Saab as a full member of this delegation, as well as he is also incorporated as a full delegate to the Social Table that was approved in the partial agreement signed in Mexico," Rodriguez announced.

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The head of the Government's dialogue delegation with the opposition indicated that Saab had been held hostage for 400 days in Cape Verde, where all his rights, as well as those of the Vienna Convention, have been violated: "this punishment was perpetrated because he was fulfilling the functions we are talking about at the Dialogue Table," Rodriguez added.

"We consider that Alex Saab is qualified and has the conditions to be part as a full member of the dialogue delegation," detailed the president of Venezuela's National Assembly.

Rodrígez reiterated that the illegal blockade of the United States against Venezuela had generated serious socio-economic damages to the population, stating: "the sanctions are criminal, they are a silent bombardment against the Venezuelan people. Sanctions are acts against International Law and are also ineffective," he added.

Regarding the role of the oppositions, Rodríguez asserted that what happened with Monómetros is a clear usurpation by  Colombian President Iván Duque with the silent complicity of Juan Guaidó.

"Monómetros was stolen by Duque and Guaidó is silent. Who controls the resources of Monómetros? Nobody, the millions of dollars go to the accounts of Juan Guaidó, Leopoldo López (...) no vaccine from those funds has arrived here," assured Rodríguez.

Finally, Rodriguez informed that in the new stage of the dialogue, his delegation would bring the documents on the impacts of the illegal blockade, "we are going with the evidence of the damages that have been perpetrated against the Venezuelan people," he concluded.