Caracas, 29 June 2022 (TDI): The President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, acknowledged that the country’s head of Congress had a meeting with a US delegate to continue negotiations pertaining release of American prisoners.
According to the official sources, the US delegate had traveled to Venezuela to discuss the welfare and safety of US nationals in the country.
The details of the members of the US delegate are unknown. However, the US State Department Spokesperson and Special Presidential Envoy on hostage affairs, Roger Carstens, confirmed this news.
Earlier, the US Ambassador, Jimmy Story, who heads the Venezuelan Affairs Unit, visited the capital city of Caracas after the attempted suicide of detained American national Matthew Heath.
Upon their arrival, the President of the National assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, hosted the delegate.
The discussion focused on commencing the bilateral agenda, which ceased in March 2022.
American Hostages in Venezuela
Despite numerous attempts, a group of oil executives from Houston is still jailed in Venezuela for more than four years.
Meanwhile, the family of Matthew Heath, who attempted suicide, appreciated these trips as encouraging signs for the people detained outside the US.
Heath has been jailed in Venezuela since 2020. Also, the family reiterates its plea to both countries to arrange an emergency evacuation to prevent prisoners from attempting suicide.
Earlier, Carstens traveled to Venezuela to meet detainees in 2021. The families of the detainees, imprisoned for years, have called the Biden administration to secure the release of these people.
Last week, the US Secretary of the State had a meeting with detainees’ families to ensure the administration’s progress in bringing wrongfully detained US nationals back.
US-Venezuela Relations
Despite various ups and downs, US and Venezuela resumed their bilateral relations in 2019. The US delegate’s trip to Venezuela in March resulted in the release of two detained Americans.
Later, the extradition of an ally to the US on money laundering charges suspended these negotiations.
