Two days after the fall of Nicolás Maduro, the path to follow in the Venezuelan transition begins to take shape. The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, whom Donald Trump pointed out yesterday as one of those responsible for the future of Venezuela, stated this Sunday that Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President of Venezuela, is someone with whom negotiations can be held. "The difference is that the person in charge (Maduro), although not legitimately in the past, was not someone we could work with. We simply could not work with him," Rubio stated to CBS. "He is not a person who has ever fulfilled any of the agreements he made," he added.
Despite the Trump Administration's support for Rodríguez, they will closely monitor her work, as the President of the United States stated in an interview with The Atlantic: "If she does not do the right thing, she will pay a very high price, probably higher than Maduro". "She is willing to do what we consider necessary for Venezuela to become great again," he added.
The Secretary of State defended in an interview on NBC the cooperation of his country with chavismo after the capture of Nicolás Maduro: "María Corina Machado is fantastic, and someone I have known for a long time, as well as the entire (opposition) movement, but we are dealing with the immediate reality" (...) "The immediate reality is that, unfortunately, and sadly, the vast majority of the opposition is no longer present in Venezuela. We have short-term issues that must be addressed immediately."
The Secretary of State of the United States points out that the goal is a change in direction at a "social and political" level.
Regarding possible elections, he stated that it is "premature at this time" because "there is still much work to be done." "We care about elections, we care about democracy (...) But what we care about most of all is the security, well-being, and prosperity of the United States," he added.
Elections were the demand of some countries after the fraud of June 28th. A ballot in which Edmundo González emerged as the winner, whose name has not been mentioned yet. The name of María Corina Machado has been mentioned, but not to lead the country, precisely.
Rubio has made it clear, as Trump did yesterday, that it will be the United States that manages the "direction" of Venezuela.
Previously, in the same interview on NBC News, he pointed out that the United States does not have troops in Venezuelan territory. "There are now other people in charge of the military and police apparatus there (in Venezuela). They will have to decide now which direction they want to take, and we hope they choose a different direction than Nicolás Maduro chose. Ultimately, we hope this leads to a comprehensive transition in Venezuela," he added.
"Until Venezuela addresses the problems it had under the Maduro Government, which still persist, it will continue to face pressure from the United States. The most important thing for us is the security, well-being, and prosperity of the U.S.," reiterated the Secretary of State.
The United States will also continue to attack narco boats and seize tankers if necessary, confirmed the Secretary of State.