Zapatero and Maduro in Caracas, December last year./ Photo: Presidencia de Venezuela
The Diplomat. 18/05/2016
The former president of the Government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero arrived in Caracas on Monday night, along with the former presidents of Panama, Martín Torrijos, and the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández, to facilitate the dialogue between the Executive of Nicolás Maduro and the opposition.
Zapatero’s visit was formally communicated to the Spanish Foreign Ministry, which has ordered to provide him with the support required by protocol that it corresponds to him as former president of the Government. However, neither Moncloa nor the department led by José Manuel Garcia-Margallo have made any declaration regarding his visit, which is considered to be Zapatero’s private initiative.
On Saturday, the former head of the Executive participated in the election held in the Dominican Republic as an observer, and he is visiting Caracas invited by the Venezuelan Government and with the support of the secretary general of Unasur, the Colombian Ernesto Samper. His intention is to meet the Venezuelan authorities and also the opposition, as one of its leaders, Henrique Capriles, affirmed.
Rodríguez Zapatero, Fernández and Torrijos had dinner on Monday night in Caracas with the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Delcy Rodríguez, who, during the previous visit made by the Spanish former president to Venezuela, before the parliamentary election held on 6 December, praised his willingness to dialogue compared to the attitude of other former international leaders, whom she accused of interfering.
The former president returns to Caracas, when a decree of state of exception has come into force
Although Samper announced that Zapatero, Fernández and Torrijos would be part of the so-called Truth Commission, the visit does not take place within this framework, since the opposition considers that this organization is an instrument created by Maduro’s Government to try to counteract the Amnesty Law, passed by Parliament, which has a majority of opposition groups.
Until yesterday afternoon, the details of Zapatero’s agenda in Caracas were unknown. He is staying in a hotel and not in the ambassador’s residence, which is closed, since its holder, Antonio Pérez-Hernández, is in Spain, after having been temporarily recalled by the Government of Mariano Rajoy, in protest against insults hurled at him by the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro.
The arrival of the former president to Venezuela takes place when the presidential decree of “state of exception and economic emergency” has just come into force. It has been signed by Maduro to face supposed attempts of coups d’état, whereas the opposition tries to promote a referendum to revoke the mandate of Hugo Chávez’s successor.
