The Government and the opposition of Venezuela sign in Mexico an instrumental social protection agreement for peace

The Government and the opposition of Venezuela have signed this Saturday in Mexico the so-called Second Partial Agreement for the Protection of the Venezuelan People, a social agreement aimed at the recovery of Venezuelan State resources blocked in the international financial system in exchange for a joint plan of infrastructure improvements, access to medicines and school development, among other aspects.

The head of the delegation of the Government of Venezuela before the dialogue table, as well as the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, and the former mayor of Caracas Gerardo Blyde, for the opposition, have stamped their signature on the pact before the mediator representative of Norway, Dag Nylander and the Mexican Foreign Minister and host of the meeting, Marcelo Ebrard, all gathered at the Sofitel Hotel in Mexico City.

This agreement stipulates, for example, the cooperation between the Government and the opposition in a humanitarian spending plan, such as the repair of electrical networks or the payment of health care projects using 2.7 billion dollars (approximately the same amount in euros). of funds currently frozen in international accounts due to US sanctions.

"The rescued resources will go to reinforce the national public health system in terms of equipment, recovery of infrastructure, provision of supplies, vaccines and medicines (...) expand and reinforce the electric power service, attention to a significant part of the infrastructure school, and care for needs arising from the emergency due to torrential rains, as well as food support programs," the Venezuelan government announced this week.

In his previous comments, the Norwegian representative congratulated the parties, which he nevertheless warned that any unilateral measure that modifies the terms of the agreement will be considered invalid. "Members of the international community will continue to be committed to their support, but progress will depend on the Venezuelans," he stated before specifying that all these developments will take place under the watchful eye of an observation and verification commission.

The parties, in addition, may make partial agreements attached to the general negotiation as long as they consider that they have been discussed to the extent possible, he added.

For Minister Ebrard, the signing is "a hope for all of Latin America", which represents "good news" and "the triumph of politics and dispute resolution (...) we welcome them with open arms."

Before the signing of the agreement, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, stated through a Twitter message that "hate has been left behind" in the country. "The times of hate are behind us, Venezuela today has a Peace that was fought for and worked for the enjoyment and healthy recreation of all. Let's enjoy this Christmas season as a family," said the Venezuelan head of state.

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó has also assured that "there is hope and solutions in Venezuela", but has asked his supporters to be "aware of the challenges that are approaching us: consolidate unity in the primaries, be ready to face the dictatorship and defend the will of the Venezuelans".

The opposition member Henrique Capriles has also welcomed the signing of the agreement. "Anything that implies an opportunity for Venezuelans to live better, will always be a reason to meet. The desire of the majority is to improve their living conditions and recover democracy," he has made known on his Twitter account.

"The role of all Venezuelans convinced of the urgent need for change is to monitor and demand compliance with the agreement. This meeting is an opportunity to demand respect for human rights, on the way to recovering democracy and rebuilding the hope of our homeland," he added.