Venezuela opposition envoy urges Biden to ease oil sanctions

By JOSHUA GOODMAN
Associated Press Writer

MIAMI (AP) — The new representative of Venezuela’s opposition in the U.S. is urging the Biden administration to start relaxing crippling oil sanctions on Nicolas Maduro’s government or risk seeing the socialist-run country turn into another Cuba with Washington scapegoated for increasing authoritarianism and economic hardships. Fernando Blasi’s comments to The Associated Press represent a sharp break from the opposition’s “maximum pressure campaign” the past four years when it was relying on the U.S. to muscle Maduro out of power. The failure of that hardline approach led the opposition in January to oust the beleaguered former lawmaker Juan Guaidó from his role as “interim president,” and replace it with a more horizontal style of leadership.