Moving forward in Venezuela will entail a threefold process, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in recent remarks to the press.
Step one is the stabilization of the country. “We don’t want it descending into chaos. Part of that stabilization, and the reason why we understand and believe that we have the strongest leverage possible, is our [oil] quarantine.”
Indeed, two more oil tankers were seized in recent days. “We are in the midst right now, and in fact about to execute, on a deal to take all the oil. . .that is stuck in Venezuela; they can’t move it because of our quarantine and because it’s sanctioned. We are going to take between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil. We’re going to sell it in the marketplace – at market rates, not at the discounts Venezuela was getting.”
The Venezuelan leadership "want[s] that oil that was seized [from ships] to be part of this deal. They understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the United States. And that's what we see are going to happen," Secretary Rubio said.
The profits generated from the legal sale of oil will be handled in such a way that benefits the Venezuelan people – not corruption and not the regime, stressed Secretary Rubio.
Speaking on Air Force One, President Donald Trump said the plan is for big oil companies to invest in Venezuela and rebuild the crumbling oil industry infrastructure. The U.S. government is not going to invest in the oil industry, he said. “We’re going to just take care of the country. . . . .We’re going to take care, more importantly, of the people.”
The second phase in Venezuela will be recovery, and that is ensuring that American, Western, and other companies have access to the Venezuelan market in way that’s fair. This phase will also begin the process of reconciliation nationally within Venezuela so that the opposition forces can be amnestied and released from prisons or brought back to the country and begin to rebuild civil society.
And the third phase will be one of transition. Some of these steps will overlap, said Secretary Rubio, and more details will be forthcoming, he promised. “But we feel like we’re moving forward here in a very positive way.”
“In the end,” said Secretary Rubio, “it will be up to the Venezuelan people to transform their country.”