The US government announced yesterday Wednesday that decided to proceed with a limited relaxation of the sanctions it imposes against Venezuelaexpressing satisfaction with the agreement reached a day earlier by the government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition ahead of presidential elections in 2024.

However, Washington made it clear that it expects “all” opposition candidates to be able to take part in this process and that if this is not done, they may take back the decision.

In a statement made public by his services, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Anthony Blinken said that Washington had informed President Maduro’s government that it expected to present itself by the end of November “concrete timetable and fast-track process for reinstatement of all candidates”.

“All those who want to run for the presidency must be able to do so,” he added, in order to guarantee fair and competitive elections.

He also demanded the release of “all unjustly detained American citizens and political prisoners” in the Latin American state.

The announcement of the relaxation of American sanctionsin the oil, gas and gold sectors, follows the signing yesterday Tuesday by the government and the opposition in Venezuela, during negotiations in Barbados mediated by Norway, for the presidential elections expected to be held in the second half of 2024.

However, the agreement excludes candidates who have been deemed ineligible to participate under “the law in Venezuela.”

Maria Korina Machado, the favorite of the opposition process for the nomination on Sunday of her or her candidate who will face off against President Maduro in 2024, he is among its executives who typically cannot run for the top office.

However, U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday night said there was an “understanding” in Washington that Caracas was committed to “paving the way” for candidates barred from the election for various legal reasons to participate. .

“Failure to meet the terms of this agreement would lead the US to reconsider the measures it has taken,” Mr Blinken said.

“As provided by US sanctions policy, in response to these democratic developments, the Treasury Department has issued general licenses allowing transactions related to Venezuela’s gas, oil, and gold sectors,” he said in a statement. Treasury Department press release Brian Nelson, Undersecretary for Economic, Sanctions and Terrorism Intelligence.

More specifically, the US government is re-authorizing the purchase of Venezuelan gas and oil for six months, a time period that can be renewed if “Venezuela meets the commitments made under the agreement on elections.”

For the gold sector, there is no specific time frame, with the finance ministry justifying this decision citing its will to “reduce the buying and selling of gold on the black market”.

US also re-allows secondary market trading of Venezuelan securitiesa – the ban on the primary is still valid -, according to the announcement of the Ministry of Finance.

The relaxation of sanctions in the oil sector was long awaited by the marketswho have been eagerly awaiting this positive development for the past few days, which has led to a drop in black gold prices despite the Israel/Hamas war and risks of escalation in the Middle East.

Other US sanctions, however, such as freezing government funds, remain in place.

An aircraft from the USA carrying 130 deported Venezuelan citizens also arrived at Caracas airport yesterday. This is the first flight of its kind, following an agreement recently concluded by the governments of the two states.

The opposition in Venezuela has not recognized the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro in 2018 in an election it largely abstained from and called a fraud. Several governments did not recognize these elections either.

In 2019, the US stepped up sanctions first imposed in 2015 after cracking down on anti-government protests.

In that year, after all, Washington and part of the international community recognized Juan Guaido, president of the parliament who declared himself interim president. But in January, the opposition decided to end his transitional presidency, judging that he had not fulfilled the goal of political change.