Lula wants guarantees from Maduro about Essequibo
"The focus is on keeping this issue on track. The goal is to keep it on hold and not let the election calendar contaminate the dialogue," said an advisor.
Reuters President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will have a bilateral meeting this week with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, focusing on the country's controversial dispute with Guyana over the Essequibo region and the Venezuelan general elections, scheduled for this year.
Two sources interviewed by Reuters explained that one of the Brazilian president's main concerns is to obtain assurances from Maduro that, in an election year, Venezuela will keep its rhetoric regarding Essequibo under control, now that the tension has subsided.
"The focus is on keeping this issue on track. The goal is to keep it on hold and not let the election calendar contaminate the dialogue," said one of the sources, who will accompany the president on the trip to Guyana and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which begins on Wednesday.
Lula will travel to both countries to participate in the closing of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting and the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). He will also have a bilateral meeting with the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, on the sidelines of the meetings.
At the end of last year, after a conversation between Lula and Maduro, Brazil began mediating negotiations between Guyana and Venezuela. Although there is no solution in sight for the dispute, the Venezuelan rhetoric, which initially included threats of the use of force and troop movements, has cooled down.
In recent months, four negotiation meetings have already taken place, and while they haven't yielded solutions, they have served to return to diplomacy. Lula's concern is that, with the possible Venezuelan elections, the tone could escalate again.
"The goal is to keep disagreements within a safe range, not allowing dangerous situations to arise where a slip-up could lead to conflict," the source said.
ELECTIONS - Another issue that should be discussed between the two presidents is the elections in Venezuela, which are expected to be scheduled for this year. In the agreement between the government and the opposition, brokered by the United States with Brazil's participation, one of the requirements is that the Maduro government schedule the elections for the second half of this year, setting the date at least six months in advance.
The so-called Barbados agreement also provided for the eligibility of opposition candidates for the elections. However, at the end of January, opposition leader María Corina Machado had her candidacy blocked by the Supreme Court, a move that raised alarms within the opposition.
The Brazilian government's assessment is that, for now, there are signs for concern -- hence Lula's intention to speak with Maduro to ensure the agreement will be honored -- but not yet cause for alarm.
Lula departs Wednesday morning for Guyana, where he will speak at the closing of Caricom in the early afternoon. On Thursday he will meet with the President of Guyana and then travel to St. Vincent. A bilateral meeting with Maduro is scheduled for Friday.