Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro disclosed Monday's visit during televised remarks, saying US officials met with the head of the government-controlled congress, Jorge Rodriguez, to continue talks that began in March. He did not provide details.
Sources familiar with the matter said the agenda for Monday's talks was limited to humanitarian issues and did not include the Opec nation's oil sector, which has been under US sanctions since 2019. The meetings included Ambassador James Story, head of the US government's Venezuelan Affairs Unit based in neighbouring Colombia.
In March, a high-level delegation from the US met with Maduro, and easing US sanctions was among the topics discussed, although no agreement was reached at the time.
That visit marked the highest-level US talks with Caracas in years, and Venezuela soon freed a former executive of Citgo Petroleum, a US-based unit of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, and a Cuban American and also promised to resume talks in Mexico with the Venezuelan opposition.
Maduro has yet to agree on a date to return to the negotiating table.
Five other Citgo executives are still held in Venezuela.
Also in custody is Matthew Heath, a Marine veteran arrested in 2020 on charges of terrorism and arms trafficking. Heath, who has denied the charges, remains in a Venezuelan hospital after what his lawyer said was an attempted suicide by cutting his own arm last week.
“After he attempted suicide, Matthew's family made a plea to Presidents Biden and Maduro to act decisively to arrange an emergency medical evacuation to the US so that Matthew can get the specialised care he needs,” Jonathan Franks, spokesperson for Heath's family, said in a statement.
He called Carstens' reported trip “an encouraging sign.”
US officials said Heath was not sent by Washington and have accused Venezuelan authorities of holding him illegally.
Two other Americans still detained are former US special forces members, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were arrested in 2020 in connection with a botched raid aimed at ousting Maduro.
US hostage envoy visits Venezuela in bid to free jailed Americans
Image: JONATHAN ERNST/ REUTERS / File photo
President Joe Biden's chief hostage negotiator led a US delegation on a visit to Caracas on Monday in the latest bid to secure the release of Americans detained in Venezuela, according to a US official and other sources familiar with the matter.
A previous trip in March by Roger Carstens, US special envoy for hostage affairs, and other senior US officials led to the freeing of two jailed Americans. But at least eight US prisoners remain.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro disclosed Monday's visit during televised remarks, saying US officials met with the head of the government-controlled congress, Jorge Rodriguez, to continue talks that began in March. He did not provide details.
Sources familiar with the matter said the agenda for Monday's talks was limited to humanitarian issues and did not include the Opec nation's oil sector, which has been under US sanctions since 2019. The meetings included Ambassador James Story, head of the US government's Venezuelan Affairs Unit based in neighbouring Colombia.
In March, a high-level delegation from the US met with Maduro, and easing US sanctions was among the topics discussed, although no agreement was reached at the time.
That visit marked the highest-level US talks with Caracas in years, and Venezuela soon freed a former executive of Citgo Petroleum, a US-based unit of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, and a Cuban American and also promised to resume talks in Mexico with the Venezuelan opposition.
Maduro has yet to agree on a date to return to the negotiating table.
Five other Citgo executives are still held in Venezuela.
Also in custody is Matthew Heath, a Marine veteran arrested in 2020 on charges of terrorism and arms trafficking. Heath, who has denied the charges, remains in a Venezuelan hospital after what his lawyer said was an attempted suicide by cutting his own arm last week.
“After he attempted suicide, Matthew's family made a plea to Presidents Biden and Maduro to act decisively to arrange an emergency medical evacuation to the US so that Matthew can get the specialised care he needs,” Jonathan Franks, spokesperson for Heath's family, said in a statement.
He called Carstens' reported trip “an encouraging sign.”
US officials said Heath was not sent by Washington and have accused Venezuelan authorities of holding him illegally.
Two other Americans still detained are former US special forces members, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were arrested in 2020 in connection with a botched raid aimed at ousting Maduro.
Venezuela frees two Americans after talks with US
A US State Department spokesperson said the latest Caracas visit was “for discussions about the welfare and safety of US nationals in Venezuela.”
A US government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the main objective was to seek further prisoner releases.
The State Department official did not immediately respond to a query on whether any Americans were expected to be freed during the visit.
The US delegation also met with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. Washington recognises him as Venezuela's legitimate interim president, having rejected Maduro's 2018 re-election as a sham.
March's delegation was led by Biden's top Latin America adviser Juan Gonzalez, and also included Carstens and Story, US ambassador to Venezuela who is based in Bogota.
That meeting took place at a time when Washington was looking to fill the void that would soon be left by a US ban on Russia's energy imports over its invasion of Ukraine.
Since the March visit, the Biden administration has taken a few steps to slightly soften its Venezuela policy.
Republican lawmakers and some of Biden's fellow Democrats have criticised the US approach to Venezuela as too conciliatory towards Maduro and his Socialist government.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos