John Kerry Expresses ‘Impatience’ With Venezuelan Government’s Role In Dialogues With Opposition

With a Venezuela sanctions bill advancing in the U.S. Senate, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said during a trip to Mexico on Wednesday that the Obama administration is growing impatient waiting for dialogue between a coalition of opposition parties and the Venezuelan government to yield compromise. El Universal reports that in a meeting with Mexican foreign minister José Antonio Meade, Kerry welcomed the idea of normal relations with Venezuela and denied that Washington was interfering with Venezuelan domestic affairs, but warned that if the government of president Nicolás Maduro did not work out an agreement with the opposition in coming days, protestors could return to the streets.

“Regrettably, there has just been a total failure by the government of Venezuela to demonstrate good-faith actions,” said Kerry, according to the New York Times. “What is important is for the Venezuelan government now to honor the dialogue process and to restore the civil liberties of opposition leaders who have been unjustly imprisoned.” He added that he hoped sanctions “will not be necessary” before pointing to recent movement in the Senate on the sanctions bill, which would freeze assets and suspend visas to officials accused of participating in abuses against opposition protestors as well as set aside some $15 million in funding for groups deemed to be promoting democracy in Venezuela.

The bill passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday and will now go to the floor for a vote. Movement on it comes days after the opposition announced it would withdraw from discussions over several key issues -- it remains in nominal dialogue over others, though the two sides have not returned to the negotiating table -- citing insufficient flexibility on the part of the government. Maduro blamed pressure from ultra-right-wing parties in Miami and Washington for the decision and urged them to return to negotiations. After the Senate committee voted on Wednesday, he called the idea of sanctions “despicable."