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Memorandum of Understanding Signed in Mexico Between Venezuelan Government and Part of the Opposition (Translation) </h1>
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<span class="gmail-posted-on"><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/memorandum-of-understanding-signed-in-mexico-between-venezuelan-government-and-part-of-the-opposition-translation/" title="12:15 pm" rel="bookmark"> August 16, 2021</a></span> - <font size="1"><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/memorandum-of-understanding-signed-in-mexico-between-venezuelan-government-and-part-of-the-opposition-translation/">https://orinocotribune.com/memorandum-of-understanding-signed-in-mexico-between-venezuelan-government-and-part-of-the-opposition-translation/</a></font><span class="gmail-tag-links"></span></div>
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<p>Caracas, August 15, 2021 (special for OrinocoTribune.com)—We want
our readers to see firsthand the transcript and Orinoco Tribune’s
unofficial translation of the memorandum signed last Friday, August 13,
between the Venezuelan government and the opposition labeled as the
“Unitary Platform of Venezuela”—a label considered by many analysts as a
euphemism for something that, in reality, is a very fragmented extreme
wing of the Venezuelan opposition. The so-called Unitary Platform
rejected the inclusion of the other faction of the opposition
represented in the Venezuelan National Assembly in the dialogue process,
or even the inclusion of the most fascist and pro US-invasion sectors,
represented by Maria Corina Machado among others.</p>
<p>An international affairs analyst consulted by Orinoco Tribune told us
that “many outside Venezuela believe that President Maduro sits at the
negotiation table in a position of weakness when, in reality, what is
happening is the opposite. Maduro’s administration sits at the
negotiation table after more than two years of defeating imperialist
aggression, both internally and externally, while the extreme-right
opposition weakens every day. The US and Europe have given the green
light for the opposition to sit at the negotiating table again. This is
due to these resounding defeats at all levels, and following multiple
calls by President Maduro for talks.”</p>
<p>“<em>Chavismo</em> seeks to find a path for lifting sanctions and the
blockade as well as to recuperate assets like CITGO (in the US) or
Monómeros (in Colombia) along with financial resources and the gold
illegally seized by the Bank of England (BoE),” added the analyst. “The
opposition is just following the instructions of its masters while the
small support they still had locally is dwindling, because its base sees
them as capitulating by going to the negotiation table with Maduro’s
administration.”</p>
<p><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/chavismo-and-two-opposition-sectors-to-meet-for-dialogue-in-mexico/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED CONTENT: Chavismo and Two Opposition Sectors to Meet for Dialogue in Mexico</a></p>
<p>The memorandum’s unofficial translation is below:</p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em><strong>Memorandum of understanding<br>
</strong>The parties designated for the purposes of this process, such
as the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the
Unitary Platform of Venezuela,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Under the protection of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Convinced of the need to put the welfare of the Venezuelan people at the center of attention,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Putting an emphasis on the superior
values of the legal system of the Venezuelan State and its actions,
which are those of life, freedom, justice, equality, solidarity,
democracy, social responsibility and, in general, the preeminence of
human rights, ethics, and political pluralism,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Committed to strengthening an inclusive democracy and a culture of tolerance and political coexistence,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Convinced of the importance of
promoting a culture of respect for human rights and of investigating and
punishing their violation,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Willing to agree on the necessary
conditions for the electoral processes enshrined in the Constitution to
be carried out, with all the guarantees,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Understanding the need for the
sanctions against the Venezuelan State to be lifted, establishing
independence, freedom, sovereignty, immunity, territorial integrity and
national self-determination as inalienable rights of the nation,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Rejecting any form of political violence against Venezuela, its State, and its institutions,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Committed to the stabilization and defense of national, productive, diversified and cooperative autonomy,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Welcoming the humanitarian initiatives taken, particularly by the National Vaccination Board and the World Food Program,</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Recognizing the need to build a vision of a joint future for all Venezuelans, and</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>• Inviting members of the international community to join us in these endeavors.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/mexico-talks-between-chavismo-and-extreme-right-kick-off-today-in-chapultepec/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED CONTENT: Mexico Talks Between Chavismo and Extreme Right Kick Off Today in Chapultepec</a></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em>We have agreed to carry out a
comprehensive and incremental dialogue and negotiation process, based on
an agenda, format, and guidelines agreed upon by the Government of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Unitary Platform of Venezuela,
prior to the beginning of the conversations in Mexico City, capital of
the United Mexican States, whose agenda is as follows:</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><strong><em>AGENDA</em></strong></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>1. Political rights for all.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>2. Electoral guarantees for all. Election schedule for observable elections.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>3. Lifting of sanctions. Restoration of rights to assets.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>4. Respect for the Constitutional Rule of Law.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>5. Political and social coexistence. Renounce violence. Reparations to victims of violence.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>6. Protection of the national economy and social protection measures for the Venezuelan people.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:80px"><em>7. Guarantees of implementation, monitoring, and verification of what has been agreed.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em>The following general terms have also been agreed to:</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em><strong>1. Objective of a comprehensive negotiation<br>
</strong>The objective is to reach an agreement, through intense,
comprehensive, incremental, and peaceful negotiation, to establish clear
rules of political and social coexistence with absolute respect for the
national Constitution.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em><strong>2. Method<br>
</strong>The negotiation will take place under the principle that
nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. However, the parties may
enter into partial agreements if they consider that the issues on which
they relate have been sufficiently discussed and if their implementation
is urgent, necessary, or at least verifiable before the end of the
negotiation. The early partial agreements will be included in the final
agreement and will be irreversible from their issuance, without
prejudice to the possibility of adjusting them to the circumstances or
improving them, taking into account, among others, the principle of
progressivity.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em><strong>3. Representation<br>
</strong>Each party will designate its delegation of nine (9) members, and will endeavor to include women in the delegations.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em><strong>4. Participation<br>
</strong>Consultation mechanisms with other political and social actors will be established.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em><strong>5. International accompaniment<br>
</strong>Facilitator: Kingdom of Norway. Companions: Kingdom of the
Netherlands and the Russian Federation. Group of friends: the
Facilitator (Kingdom of Norway) will invite and announce the countries
that will form the Group of Friends of the Process.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em><strong>6. Place<br>
</strong>Mexico City, United Mexican States.</em></p>
<p style="padding-left:40px"><em>Signed in Mexico City on August 13,
2021, by Jorge Jesús Rodríguez Gómez, the Government of the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela; Gerardo Blyde Pérez, from the Unitary Platform of
Venezuela; and Dag Nylander, the Kingdom of Norway.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Featured image: Jorge Rodríguez, head of the Venezuelan
government delegation, shaking hands with Gerardo Blyde, head of the
extreme-right opposition delegation. The head of the Norwegian mediation
delegation, Dag Nylander, looks on. Photo courtesy of
Twitter/@AissateleSUR.</em></p>
<p>Special for Orinoco Tribune by Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza</p>
<p>OT/JRE/ED</p></div></div>
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