Caracas Chronicles

Photo: UN retrieved

Nicolás quickly returned to a country that didn’t miss him, because the majority didn’t even know that he traveled to Russia, a  trip he called “successful” even though he came back without a new credit line, just when he needed it the most. From Maiquetía he said: “We’ve prepared a cooperation plan with Russia to guarantee that the end of the year is full of work and results.” He said that they agreed on several plans, without explaining which ones, that will carried out in 2020 and 2021. He smiled because Vladímir Putin “was optimistic about the steps we’ve taken, signing a first national agreement and installing a new negotiation table,” and said he viewed the reincorporation of the “bloque de la patria” to the National Assembly in contempt as a good thing. All his words match a propaganda script, with information that can’t be verified and promises he won’t keep. 

Evaluating the Enemy

Nicolás had the sensitivity to evaluate “Trump’s face of disdain” in the reunion with Latin American presidents celebrated on Wednesday at the UN and assured that Trump “dislikes Latin America” and that it was him who ordered the opposition to leave the negotiation table sponsored by Norway (without explaining why his delegation left). However, Nicolás said that he’s willing to talk to the opposition again: “If the initiative of the Oslo dialogue were reactivated, we are prepared to assume it immediately. All the doors are open for political dialogue,” as if it were a decision made by a third party and not himself. Weird, huh? 

What Nicolás didn’t say

When he talked about the results of Nicolás’s visit, the Kremlin said on Thursday that he talked to Putin about military cooperation, but they didn’t talk about the credit issue. The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitri Peskov mentioned again that Venezuelans’ problems must be solved by Venezuelans and he was cynical enough to advise the opposition to correspond Nicolás’s flexibility shown by Maduro to solve the crisis through dialogue. Well, Nicolás can hold on to the memories of his video he tweeted of a stroll down the Red Square and Putin gets to keep the replica of Bolívar’s sword in the Carabobo Battle. 

An Agreement to Stop that Which Is Necessary

After rejecting Michelle Bachelet’s report, calling it partial and politicized, the regime tries to convince members of the Human Rights Council that it’s willing to work with High Commissioner’s Office. But this Friday’s European morning the proposal presented by the Lima Group was approved, which asks to create a fact-finding mission that investigates cases of executions, disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture, exactly what the chavista administration does not want, so he pounced with other dictatorships to celebrate “the achievement” of Iran’s resolution.

Friday!

With the resolution presented by Iran, Nicolás’s government doesn’t respond to the severe humanitarian crisis, doesn’t recognize the severity of repression and it exaggerates the relevance of the memo signed on Monday, that which Bachelet herself called a “framework for discussion in the future.” On Friday, there’ll be a vote for the Lima Group’s proposal, asking to create a mission for determining facts on torture, forced disappearances and arbitrary detention cases, exactly what chavismo doesn’t want, that’s why it jumped at the opportunity of celebrating “the achievement” of Iran’s resolution. 

The Non-Country

Former mayor of Lechería ( Anzoategui State) Gustavo Marcano  said that Sebin raided his home under orders of ANC-imposed prosecutor general Tarek William Saab.

Four inmates scaped Uribana prison when they were let out of the annex to collect water. 

“El Togazo” was the name of the protest lawyers held this Thursday, to demand better wages and changes in the Venezuelan justice system. 

More voices join the chorus against the chavista census: profiles as different as deputy Biagio Pilieri and former prosecutor general Luisa Ortega Díaz say that it’s a way to locate empty homes because the owners migrated to seize them and assign them at will. 

We, the Migrants 

OAS commissioner for Venezuelan migrants and refugees David Smolansky announced the installation of a permanent office to solve the migration crisis and that starting October a million vaccine cards will be distributed to Venezuelans. Also, Smolansky warned the international community about the need for implementing a Regional Identity Card that will allow undocumented Venezuelans to. 

The fifth group of Venezuelans (45 people) was expelled from Peru, for forging their information and lying about criminal records. 

María Paula Romo announced that the census on Venezuelan immigrants started on Thursday in Ecuador, to allow them access to humanitarian visas that are required for those who want to remain there. 

Other Movements on the Board

The United States sanctioned former Cuban President Raúl Castro and his children for supporting Nicolás.

Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell, encouraged a peaceful, negotiated solution to our crisis that turns into elections and talked about his governments “deep concern” for the end of Oslo talks.

Guyana expressed its satisfaction regarding the ICJ’s decision to celebrate hearings about their border dispute with Venezuela for Esequibo. 

Diosdado Cabello visited a children’s food factory in North Korea. No, not kidding. 

Caretaker President Juan Guaidó appointed a Alejandro Plaz as the new governor for the IBD, replacing economist Ricardo Hausmann.

Julio Borges informed about his meetings wits Special Envoy for Venezuela Elliot Abrams, “to increase the pressure on Maduro’s and the Cuban regimes”, and with Dutch Prime Minister, Stef Blok, “to increase the international support coalition.” 

…

Former French President Jacques Chirac at 86 years old. He’s remembered by leading the efforts against the Iraq war and for admitting France’s responsibility in Nazi crimes. President Emmanuel Macron described him as: “He was the emblem of a proud, independent France, capable of rejecting an unjustified military intervention (…) a state man that we loved as much as he loved us”