CELAC Summit: what do you think in the United States about the visit of Nicolás Maduro to Argentina

The Joe Biden government

on the visit to Argentina of the Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, who would arrive in our country to attend the CELAC leaders' summit on Tuesday, but experts consulted by

in Washington pointed out that the American leaders should take advantage of the opportunity to pressure him to call

.

Maduro, accused of human rights violations and considered a dictator by the United States, was

, who today leads CELAC, together with leaders from all over the region and everything indicates for now that he will travel.

The head of La Rosada also invited Biden – who will not attend and will send Chris Dodd, his special adviser for the region – and the Chinese Xi Jinping, who will intervene with a video.

Consulted by Clarín, the State Department declined to respond: "No comment," said a spokesman about Maduro's trip.

Venezuela is an

.

Although the Biden administration has recently

– after the evident failure of the "strong hand" that Donald Trump sought to apply - Maduro continues to be

, has an arrest warrant in the United States for narcoterrorism and is subject to economic sanctions together with his family and main officials.

On the other hand, the

and has problems with thousands of Venezuelan refugees fleeing the crisis and violence and seeking to enter US soil.

You need a solution.

The expert's opinion

Michael Shifter

, of the InterAmerican Dialogue, said that “Maduro's visit to Argentina will be

who, due to their suffering and misery, have had to leave their country since 2014, with a significant number in Argentina.

Maduro has left an unprecedented economic collapse and humanitarian catastrophe in South America.

"However," Shifter says, "it is not surprising that Maduro was invited to the CELAC meeting. With the resounding failure of the 'maximum pressure' strategy against the Venezuelan regime, which consisted of diplomatic isolation and punitive measures, there is a turn of focus towards greater 'engagement' or commitment, in order to influence towards a greater economic and political opening, using the sanctions imposed by Washington as a pressure tool".

The expert added that "

, greeting President Emmanuel Macron and John Kerry, the Biden administration's climate change czar, in addition to visits by senior US officials to Caracas and Washington's support for the humanitarian agreement and with Chevron on oil".

"The big question is whether CELAC member countries, and also the United States and Europe, are willing to take advantage of their commitment to Maduro

and a democratic path, or rather accept and legitimize his dictatorial rule. The second option would be very disappointing and unfortunate," he added.

Geoff Ramsey

, director of the Venezuela department of WOLA, a Washington-based organization that promotes human rights in the Americas, told

that "the region has understood that the policy of maximum pressure is over and that today the commitment strategy with Caracas is that a democratic solution be addressed via negotiations.

and at the same time commit to the regime."

For Ramsey, "it will be a mistake for the CELAC regional leaders not to use the opportunity in Buenos Aires to encourage Maduro to start negotiations with the opposition for free elections."

"Washington knows that we are in another moment with Venezuela.

, there have been several trips by US diplomats to Caracas, even Colombian President Gustavo Petro has already begun to interact. The Biden administration understands that each country has different approaches to the crisis in Venezuela. And that there is unity in the call for free elections as a solution to the crisis," he added.

The expert pointed out that "Maduro is subject to an arrest warrant from the United States for drug trafficking and other charges and

. He is also being investigated for crimes against humanity. It is important for countries to be clear that in Venezuelan regime is a severe abuser of human rights and that a compromise with Caracas will shed light on the reality on the ground".

Javier Ruiz

, an expert in international criminal law, said that if he travels to Buenos Aires, Maduro suffers

: first, with the process that is being followed at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and that accuses him of crimes against humanity .

In this case, says Ruiz, "there is only an investigation and a formal accusation against Maduro, but there is no arrest warrant."

"Another legal front is due to an arrest warrant issued by the Department of State, acting in conjunction with the Southern District of New York, for which he has been accused since 2020, and even offers a reward, on charges of narcoterrorism," he explained.

"If there is an arrest warrant in the United States,

it, applying the principle of Universal Jurisdiction, that is, the international criminal jurisdiction that is given by the nature of the crime. Only a federal judge can do it," Ruiz pointed out.

look too

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