Kimberly Breier: "We are looking for a peaceful solution for Maduro and his group"

The

Venezuela crisis

the United States is one of the main actors, from the pressure exerted by the Donald Trump government to the Nicolás Maduro regime, through diplomatic and economic sanctions, to the support of the United States. Opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, recognized as president in charge of more than fifty countries.

In this context, the Under-Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Kimberly Breier, who is visiting Buenos Aires, said in an interview with four Argentine media, including LA NACION, that her government would continue to work in the diplomatic way, without excluding other options, and that the objective is "the peaceful exit of Maduro".

The official also insisted that the persecution of opposition MPs launched this week in Maduro, some of whom were refugees in foreign embbadies, "are actions of a weak regime that does not exist. There is no other way to face the political challenge.

-What would be the strategy right now to watch Maduro? Because until now, the pressure does not seem to work.

– Four months ago, we started the new road with the acting president, Juan Guaidó. There are already 54 countries in the world that recognize it and most have representatives of the government of Guaidó. We have two international institutions, the OAS and the IDB, which have representatives of Guaidó. We sanctioned more than 150 people in the United States and canceled over 700 visas for people with ties to the regime. I would say that the pressure works. Because what we saw last week, what you are doing now with the vice president of the National Assembly and the threats that weigh on MPs are actions of a weak regime, these are not not actions of a regime that has another way of facing a political challenge. They are very weak. I would say that sanctions work. Because they cut the bases of the people that the regime has. So we will continue on the road with pressure, working with the Lima group, and it is important to say that it is a regional crisis, it is not something thing between the United States and Venezuela, but between Latin America and Venezuela, and in the interior of the country. the people of Venezuela and the leaders.

-What must be done for the military option?

-We are working to find a peaceful solution. That's the key. That's what we try to do. In this, you always keep all the options on the table. Obviously, it's important to have all the options, and I think the government is very serious about that. We have a 100% commitment to the people of Venezuela and we will continue on this path.

-What happened on April 30th? Some Venezuelan media speak of members of the military hierarchy who actually act as double agents. At the last moment, they turned around, were led by the Cubans and cheated the opposition, and therefore the United States.

-D First, I would say that US officials said that there was contact with people around Maduro. What happened on April 30 was a sign of the weakness I am talking about. It is obvious that all the people around Maduro are wondering where they are going, how they are going to fix their future, there are questions from the whole team. He is an isolated man in his own country, who does not enjoy the support of the security services. What we saw on the 30th was also that the head of the Sebin, the dome of the intelligence of the country, left the country and issued a letter rejecting the direction of Nicolás Maduro. So for us, it was a very important day. If they were double agents and all that, I have no comment. Obviously, one day they will write history and the reality is that I am sure that people around Maduro are asking and thinking about their own future.

– You said that in this phase, what matters is the diplomatic way, even if all the options are on the table, among which the military solution. When would these "other options" begin to work? Faced with a possible detention of Guaidó or a sentence badumed by Trump to launch the military path?

-They are decisions about things that did not happen. It's a decision of the President of the United States and we are currently focusing on diplomatic tools. All we have in the Treasury Department, sanctions, international pressure, Lima group and diplomatic channel. We are fully working to achieve a peaceful resolution of the crisis. In addition to Guaidó's theme, we have stated publicly that it would be a very serious decision of the regime to touch the family of Juan Guaidó. The European Union said the same thing, the Lima group said the same thing and I think the situation with Vice President Zambrano is very serious.

– Is the United States worried about the prospect of Cristina Kirchner's return to the presidency and the restoration of her strong alliance with Venezuela at the time?

The United States has a very important relationship with Argentina. This is a very important relationship with the State of Argentina and we are committed to working with all those who win the elections. It's the decision of the Argentine people, not us. We obviously support a path, an institutional path, human rights, democracy, free markets. Such a path for us is the right path for the region and I believe that the region is on this path for internal reasons to each country. It's a very interesting time in South America. We support this path, the institutional path and all the values ​​we share.

– Do you envisage the possibility that before the change of government, the United States encourage more money to be made available to Argentina through the IMF if the situation economic aggravates?

-We have supported Argentina very seriously in recent years and the IMF program is a real and ambitious program, as well as a very important support for the road taken by the country.

-There is a rule that the Treasury Department has a line of credit: in case of failure of a strategic partner, there may be a bailout. Assess that the White House will use this line of credit before the country risk complicates Mauricio Macri's performance in the elections by saving Argentine bonds.

-I do not know the answer to this question. I would only say that the support is very strong and that, obviously, it is a real commitment to follow the path taken by the government, to make the difficult decisions it makes on the economic issue. Yes, we have supported the IMF in an unprecedented way and we continue to support the path taken.

"There is a lot of military friction on the border between Venezuela and Colombia in recent days. You have more information about what is happening.

-I have been to Cucuta twice, I know the region well, what is happening and the human tragedy that we see there is something impossible to believe. As far as the Colombian government is concerned, I have no new information on what is going on, but simply to say that President Duque has been very firm on this and that he is a very important leader of the Lima group and obviously tries to avoid a confrontation. with Venezuela and seek the peaceful way like everyone else.

– How far or how far are you from an agreement with Russia to facilitate the transition to Venezuela?

"Obviously we are talking to the Russians. Secretary of State [Mike Pompeo] I'm speaking with [el canciller ruso, Sergei] Lavrov a week ago and I think they'll be talking again in the coming days. We have different points of view, fundamentally different. The Russians, send planes and people in military profile certainly do not help the situation.

-Do you envision the possibility of forgiving Maduro's crimes when he resigns from his post and leaves the country?

-I would not say that like that. But we are looking for a peaceful solution. And this must include the exit of Maduro and his team in a peaceful way. The details of how, where and what business are for the future, but we are looking for a peaceful way out of this group and we have said that our policy of sanctions has always been that, if the behavior changes, we can change our position of sanctions.