President Donald Trump gave authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro a deadline to leave Venezuela and avoid risking a forceful removal in their phone conversation on November 21, according to a new report. That deadline passed on Friday, November 28, and the next day Trump said all airspace above the South American country should be considered closed.
Reuters was the latest outlet to report on the content of the phone calls between Trump and Maduro, in which the latter made a series of requests to leave power. Most of them were rejected.
The outlet detailed that Maduro said he would be willing to relinquish power if he and his family members were given full legal amnesty, including the removal of sanction and the end of a case before the International Criminal Court.
He also requested the lifting of sanctions for more than 100 Venezuelan officials who face charges of human rights abuses, drug trafficking or corruption, and that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez run an interim government before new elections. Trump, in turn, said Maduro had a week to leave the country and go to a destination of his choice.
The Miami Herald also reported that Maduro offered holding free elections in exchange for keeping control of the country's armed forces. Another sticking point between the parties was that Washington D.C. demanded Maduro resign immediately, to which Caracas refused.
The Washington Post has reported that Turkey has risen as a potential destination should an off-ramp be eventually agreed on. The outlet noted that noted that Caracas and Ankara have friendly ties, exchanging cabinet-level visits in recent years, and have a dynamic trade relationship.
As a result, and considering that Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a good relationship with Trump, some in Washington D.C. are actively contemplating the possibility.
"At the end of day, what are realistic and acceptable outcomes? Obviously, people are thinking about it, working on it," a person familiar with administration deliberations told the outlet. The person said such a deal could come with guarantees. Namely, assurances that Maduro wouldn't be extradited to the U.S.
In contrast, another report noted that Maduro is reluctant to agree to any deal to leave power because he doesn't believe he would get lasting amnesty.
The Wall Street Journal noted that Maduro only feels safe among loyalists, and both him and his inner circle believe the Trump administration is bluffing with its military campaign off the country's coast.
The only way to oust him, they claim, would be physically sending troops to Venezuela, something they consider unlikely. "The calculation for Maduro is that he will always be safer here than anywhere else," Phil Gunson, analyst for the International Crisis Group, told the outlet.
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Tags: Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela, Donald Trump, United States
