Venezuelan opposition leader urges calm on US oil deal, demands direct benefits

Juan Pablo Guanipa, a prominent opposition leader, urged a measured approach to the oil agreements recently announced between Venezuela and the United States. He stated that these accords, which could shape the nation's future for decades, demand a "calm reading."

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The oil agreement announced yesterday is a decision that can determine decades of our history and requires a calm reading.

Guanipa highlighted the "most serious anti-Venezuelan act of Chavismo" as the destruction of PDVSA, the state oil company. He asserted that Venezuela cannot recover without exploiting its vast underground reserves, which necessitates significant private foreign investment. The current agreement, he noted, holds the potential to reactivate the industry.

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Our country will not be able to recover if we leave our enormous reserves in the subsoil.

However, Guanipa stressed that the "central point for this agreement to be lasting is that Venezuelans" see "direct benefits." He warned that without visible improvements like new jobs, increased investment, and economic resurgence, popular repudiation is inevitable. He also cautioned against allowing those responsible for the country's and PDVSA's downfall to manage any resulting funds, likening it to building a skyscraper on a foundation of mud.

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The central point for this agreement to be lasting is that Venezuelans see direct benefits.

Ultimately, Guanipa concluded that the only sustainable way to revive Venezuela's economy and ensure the agreement benefits all parties is through free elections. He believes this would lead to a representative government, clear rules, the rule of law, and transparent institutions capable of managing national resources for the nation's benefit.

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And while we have the people who destroyed the country and PDVSA managing the money that comes out of this agreement, well, we are building a skyscraper with mud pillars.