Spanish
The White House reportedly rejected a proposal from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to resign after a two-year period, within the framework of unofficial negotiations that had been authorized by President Donald Trump to explore solutions to the crisis in Venezuela, according to an investigation published this Tuesday by the New York Times.
The New York Times claims that Trump gave "his approval" to the plans of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for operations that could aim to prepare a "battlefield for future actions" and that they re-established unofficial communication with Maduro, who would have presented a proposal to resign to Washington, which was rejected.
The article cites officials who spoke on condition of anonymity and who knew that members of the Maduro government offered the Trump Administration a two- to three-year transition process, with the aim of ensuring an orderly resignation. However, the White House considers it unacceptable for Maduro's departure from power to be postponed.
You can also read: CUS Congress votes in favor of publishing Epstein's files
According to sources from the New York Times, Maduro, during informal talks, would have indicated a willingness to offer access to Venezuela's oil wealth to US energy companies. Last week, Trump held different conversations at the White House with the main authorities of the Pentagon where several options were presented to him for the continuity of actions in the military campaign that the Southern Command has been leading in the Caribbean since August, near the Venezuelan coasts. The New York Times claims that although the Republican's future actions on Venezuela are not clear, they could follow covert actions, without authorizing combat on the ground, and prioritize psychological or attrition strategies, as well as cyber or information operations. The publication adds that officials close to the White House knew that the CIA has located various facilities allegedly related to drug trafficking that could be attacked under a presidential order. Last week, Trump publicly admitted, on the presidential plane, that he would be willing to talk with Maduro and previously assured that he had already made a decision about Venezuela, but did not want to reveal details. In parallel, Trump has unleashed what the Pentagon calls 'Southern Spear' operation, with a historic naval deployment in the Caribbean: the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, several warships and nearly 12,000 military personnel, according to US authorities. Since August, the U.S. has carried out at least 21 attacks against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Pacific, destroying 22 boats, with an estimated death toll of more than 80 people according to Southern Command.
