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The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, hopes that the Chavista elite will accept the historic opportunity that lies before them.
In an interview with The New York Times, when asked about the statements made by Delcy Rodríguez, Rubio stated that the United States will make decisions based on the "actions and facts" taken by the chavista regime in the coming days.
"We believe they will have some unique and historic opportunities to render great service to the country, and we hope they accept that opportunity," said Rubio.
Statements by Delcys Rodríguez
The Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, stated this Saturday that her government is willing to establish a relationship "based on respect" and "within the framework of international law," just hours after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores in the context of a U.S. military operation.
Rodríguez made those statements from Caracas while demanding the “immediate release” of Maduro, whom he described as “the only president” of the country.
In his remarks, he stated that "the Venezuelan people... are outraged" by what he described as an "illegal and illegitimate kidnapping" of both the president and Flores, and he assured that "all of Venezuela" has mobilized.
As an institutional response, Rodríguez indicated that the National Defense Council has been activated and that there was already a decree of “external commotion” “signed by President Maduro,” which —he said— would be delivered to the president of the Supreme Court for her “constitutional support” in the Constitutional Chamber.
He added that, while awaiting that support "in the next few hours," the provisions of the decree would be implemented "from this moment on."
In the political sphere, the vice president stated that the country “will not be a colony of anyone” and described what happened as a “barbarity” that, according to her, “violates international law.”
In the same speech, he asserted that the government was "ready to defend Venezuela" and its "natural resources," with an emphasis on "hydrocarbons" and "energy resources."
It was in that final stretch where Rodríguez set the condition for any future conversation.
“We are willing to have relationships based on respect… within the framework of international law and the laws of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” and added, “This is the only thing we will accept for any kind of relationship” following what he described as an attack and a military aggression against the nation and against Caracas.
The appearance occurred after Trump claimed that his team had spoken with Rodríguez and that she had shown herself “willing” to engage with Washington, although the transcription does not provide further details about that contact.
Maduro arrives in the U.S.
The arrival of Nicolás Maduro in the state of New York territory occurred this Saturday on a U.S. Air Force plane that landed at Stewart National Airbase at 4:32 PM local time, after taking off from Guantánamo.
The flight was a Boeing 757 coming from Guantánamo and the arrival point is located just northwest of New York City.
The aircraft's departure occurred amidst a significant deployment of forces from the FBI, DEA, and the National Guard, as seen in the video shared on Fox News. The descent of the plane was slow and involved dozens of federal agents.
CNN had reported that Maduro, then aboard the USS Iwo Jima, would make a brief stop in Guantánamo as part of a logistical plan to expedite his transfer to New York.
Previously, Donald Trump had released images of Maduro chained and blindfolded aboard the USS Iwo Jima, stating that the Venezuelan leader was being transported "to face charges."
Regarding the judicial process, Maduro is expected to face charges of drug and arms trafficking in a federal court in Manhattan next week.
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