and the u. s. and more recently, france and germany have criticized rwanda for it support. but none of the wonders backers have applied sanctions last week. the voter registration began for elections that are due to be held a year from now leaked documents share the last election 4 years ago was rigged. president felix jessy. katy was announced the winner. he wants to run again. many people are wondering if next year's election will be free and fair was it even happened on time when you look at the documents of the national electoral commission, it's already in there as a factor that might delay elections themselves. so they were preparing the argument of course, no credible election can take place if there's so much violence that voting can't, can't take place. the violence shows no sign of stopping and 23 said it pulled out of this town of keep them last week following international calls for it's fighters

to withdraw and disarm it has since continued fighting on another front, pushing towards cult and minds that it controlled in the past, more than half a 1000000 people remained displaced from their homes, mostly because of armed conflict. recent peace talks in nairobi failed to bring any change on the ground. for now, people must wait to see if the arrival of more foreign forces in the months ahead and the upcoming election make things better or worse. malcolm web al jazeera. ah, it says al jazeera, these are the top stories. the u. s. has joined a growing list of countries imposing cove with 19 restrictions on people arriving from china. it comes just to day after beijing announced it would drop all quarantine measures for inbound travelers. the u. s. joins italy, taiwan, india, and japan and requiring negative tests for anyone traveling from china or white

house correspondent, kimberly hawk. it has more well, the bible ministration is concerned that the chinese government is not being fully transparent. and this is a concern that goes back to the start of the pandemic, and as such as a result of the ease of the restrictions in recent days in china as well as what the u. s says, or a spike in cases in china. the u. s. as taking measures to ensure that there isn't a spike of cases of covered 19 in the united states, particularly when it comes to some various of the i'm a crime variant. ukraine's military says, russian forces have stepped up more to an artillery or tags in the city of her son . 33 missiles were fired at civilian targets, some hit a hospital maternity ward. israel's incoming coalition government is promising to make expounding illegal israeli settlements in the occupied west bank a top priority. a statement of policy prioritize,

released by benjamin netanyahu. could party says, quote, the jewish people have an unquestionable exclusive right to the whole land of israel. and several western states in the u. s. are battling major flooding days after severe winter storm struck most parts of north america, california, oregon, and washington state. have all been affected so far. where those are the headlines . news continues here. notice here after inside story aah! with 3 years ago hang glider declared himself venezuela's leader instead of president nicholas missouri. now the opposition has voted to remove the interim government led by the us back politician madura remains family empower despite years of

sanctions and economic growth. so what's next? venezuela? this isn't her story. ah . hello, welcome to the program. i'm in ron con. it holds the world's largest oil reserves, yet venezuela's economy remains in deep difficulty. after years of western sanctions, president nicholas madura, his state in power would support from russia, cuba, china, turkey, and iran, backed by the west, one glider declared himself at present 3 years ago. but he's on the way out that's after the opposition. he proclaimed to lead this week rejected his ladyship and entering government. in a few moments, we'll be looking in more detail with our guests on how venezuela got to our is where it is next. but this 1st report from alice under amputee on the economic

difficulties as people face at the inner garcia, opened her natural, cosmetic shop 4 months ago in caracas, bedding on venezuela's, mother it economic recovery. and despite many hurdles, she says things have gone well so far on economy, agatha and i see on a it's an economy and revision that's just starting to grow. again, there is a feeling of normality for commerce and many shopping centers have started operating again. but now, very like the government's decision to relax. price controls and allow trading in us dollars has given some businesses and president nicholas my daughter, a 2nd wind in a country were real gross domestic product as shrunk by almost 80 percent in a decade dollars. they're everywhere, these days, prices in stores, restaurants, and even food carts are listed in dollars. this has partly stabilized prices and brought a veneer of better economic times. so people go together with more favorable international

geo politics. this is allowed madura to venture outside the country, shaking hands with leaders who were trying to house them until a few months ago and confounding opponents. every religion why dod amend the united states and other democracies recognized as legitimate president after calling my daughters 2018 re election. a sham spends most of his days in a spartan office, froze on the wall, show him at the height of his efforts to topple my daughter. and although opposition parties are now seeking to end this mandate, he remains undeterred. they don't wanna do out a thought. oh no, legs and blessings. the only that we need to bring this to a presidential election and we need to strengthen the opposition to facilitate talks, mexico. but let me be clear, it's not because the opposition is divided, that madura keeps the power he keeps you sipping power because this is a dictatorship lewters regime as agreed interior to resume negotiations with the opposition in mexico and arrange free and fair presidential elections in 2000 with

4 in exchange for ease un sanctions and the oil sector. mother was hoping the economy will continue improving enough to give him a chance to win the next presidential elections outright. especially if the opposition remains as divided as it is right now. that economies say the improvements have done little for the majority of venezuelans. can my little see at the hall, you elemental madura is trying to credit himself for the increasing a comic activity, but all they have done is stop causing happ inflation. to lift things then it will create some peace among the middle and upper class. but this doesn't mean better conditions for those who go to public hospital or need public services. but for now, avoiding hyperinflation might be enough to offer some opportunities to businesses. like at the anna's and the government, more time to maneuver, allison, the and pierre, the al jazeera carrack, us willing to reduce our gas shortly. but 1st, let's take

a look at how venezuela reached this point in 2019 nicholas. dora was sworn in for a 2nd term as president, but the opposition had boycotted the 2018 elections saying though rigged opposition leader one glider had headed the national assembly. sincerely elections and declared himself entering president. the u. s. lead around 60 western and latin american countries in recognizing him as leader with some allowing him to employ ambassadors. maduro bard, the u. s. humanitarian aid and cut diplomatic ties. the trump administration replied to crippling sanctions, including on vital oil exports up to 5000000 people with forced to leave when his while of western allies gave guido control of the countries foreign assets domestic supports for him with it after he failed to take power. most e u countries back to guido, but dropped their recognition of him as president last year. but the u. s. continues to recognize him. ah,

let's bring it, i guess wrong, caracas tamir for us. he's the managing director of global sovereign advisory, and was previously deputy foreign minister adviser to president hugo chavez in chief of stuff to president nicholas meadow or in neil vanessa norman. she's the founder and ceo of asymmetrical political risk firm. she's also the former official represent sit for one guy in the united kingdom and ireland and also from crackers, full guns, and he's a senior analyst, the in special crisis group and a consultant on latin america. welcome to you'll, but begin in new york with you, vanessa. you guys failed, it's time to back and you'll surely. well, i think, you know, that was a joke about the interim government started. it's not internet. no, does it cover? so i think that that unfortunately gained a lot of current, you know, on record events since my resignation in 2020. that if this was not going to achieve its objectives, that's why you get to get out of my daughter versus by the dialect. do something to benefit people, you know, the long suffering that us mind people. so i think i'm not sure about whether it's

backing a new horse or finding a way to basically ease that suffering to bring infrastructure development to bring out proper humanitarian. how and not just in the ways of handouts, but things that are really considered basic to human development and human rights. and i think that that's where we need to go. now it's time to end the dialectic in time to, to find a solution for people in caracas. a, to me for us. i mean, what do you think of that? it's time to stop this side show effectively. yes, absolutely. i mean, we are so called intern government was set up as part of the regime change policy that was good back in the days by the trumpet, ministration, and very clearly that policy failed for various reasons. it is, it is time now to learn by recognizing that intern government by the united states

in the sense that it creates the existence, you know, the formal existence even if it has no way back in that it creates a lot of problems regarding, for instance, the legal recognition of the, of it isn't a government in the united states, the access and, or an assets. and even, you know, the turnaround of an economy engagement with, you know, with the global economy. financial institutions that a range of problems are created by the existence of this now irrelevant, so called intern government sell guns and also in caracas, one of the key players here is the united states. it sticking to its guns, it's backing into in government. it continues to recognize of water. what is the point of that now? there really isn't important. i mean, i think the by the administration has long wanted to move beyond this policy, which of course inherited from, from not only in terms of recognizing why though,

as the president of minnesota. but also the whole package is sanctions. but in the overall so called maximum maximum pressure policy, i think this, you know, this move will make things slightly easier in the short term. it's clearly a massive victory for president, a lot of people, even even people on the moderate side internationally. and domestically here, as well as the opposition have been reluctant to give to that, that prize if you like that, that, that benefit without any significant concessions on his side. but i think that, you know, that stems from, you know, an idea that somehow the so called intro government is an asset to the opposition. whereas in fact has been lost to go, not only and not only in terms of the overall strategy, but also in terms of you know, what, what the relationship between the opposition leadership and the venezuela public is

. i think it is distance, the opposition leadership from the real concern and also cause the split 1st place if you like, within the opposition itself. vanessa. these are 2 very strong personalities. here . they are people with significant support. is there a compromise to be found that leads venezuela out of this crisis? will significant support? i'm not sure. i agree with that statement. first of all, i wanted to reinforce and agree with some things that so constance had. and to me a sad and but out a bit of nuance. i think 1st of all, i don't think nicholas, my little or mom, i don't really have that much support. there are analyses that by the may not make it out of the primary. that's not for me to say that be determined by the facts as we approach 2024 election. ok. so you know, the polling is bad for both sides. i wouldn't say really on either side has, or it's a little bit unclear who would emerge as a strong leader or option really on either side of the senior class. my router

would stay as a leader on for the regime. but what, what is interesting about what has happened with the recognition and what happened with the foreign assets. everything going forward as you know, it was instrumental and the defense of the gold of the shower and gold in the bank of england. and gave not know if you were the 19 witness statements in that case. so i know well, so what has happened is i think a lot of the foreign asset, even if the why those should we say is the recognized officially by its own people . and the international gene, you end up with any situation. remember that those assets are frozen because of the legitimacy of the muslim reggie pending for your federal actions. so there is a scenario where that might all just remain frozen until there is real actions in 2024. that promise does not go away. i do agree that it has separated with the transfer and our position leadership from the people who are just tied up with politics and wants to get on with the solution to their lives. and i think about

what i want to do. one of the things is, as you try to move forward and try to find a solution to the types of things that we have been talking about about infrastructure development. and perhaps finding ways to either use some of those are in debt, which i'm involved in a couple of projects on this. so i'm advising whether to use some of the foreign debt or foreign assets that have been clear. it could be clear in order to use that, or some of these projects that we're about to use or something of the people and perhaps who move or away from the russian influence and more toward the west. now the thing is to do that, you have to find a way that you can't be entirely isolated from the international financial community. because that's just say, even if you secure taiser collateralized some of those investments, you know, what are you going to do? go to court in venezuela to, you know, there is a default, so you need to find a car where even when you try to find the solution there, there that there is a way that you can still force internationally because it completely financially

isolated banks like north korea or something doesn't really, doesn't provide investors or with any, any recourse, the type that you would need. so i think that the solution would have to be something, something along those lines and that, and then it's a real rubik's cube of complexity to find that part of, i mean we're looking at then a style may all weight, we're looking at least 118 months away before the next election optimistically. so we're looking at style me in venezuela politics. the can't do any of the things that vanessa may be suggesting. well, i don't think so that isn't bullies have, have been moving since at least 2019 1st in the most of the opposition. and when is it, it has moved away from, you know, the product of a so called intern government has engaged in internal and

a process of internal negotiation with the small, you know, this, the name we give to the political movement around president. and you know, in a very challenging and difficult but, but you know, ongoing process, the opposition and the government, the minute focused on discussing which, which is already a progress from the situation in 2019 when you know phrases like all options are on the table pronounced by the government. united states, meaning a military threat against the venezuelan government and man and minnesota in general was pronounced. the situation politically has, has definitely improved. of course, there needs to be, you know, concrete concessions on. and when i say both sides a is, the opposition is requesting from the government political concessions and

guarantees in order to achieve free and fair elections. and the government on the other side is addressing a message that is more addressed to lead to the u. s. government than opposition saying that in order to achieve free and fair elections also for debbie's more needs to be free and fair elections are all been as well as should not be subject to unilateral un sanctions, which is you know, what bonanza was referring to today. the venezuelan government is under us sanctions. it means it doesn't have access to the financial system. it doesn't have access to bank accounts. now to make it very concrete, and it's annoying producing country where the oil and national oil company cannot legally mean from the perspective of the us legal system. but which is, you know, by the fact that the u. s. a has a great international influence. it cannot engage even in training,

and it's what i cannot explored officially. it's all have. so the impact of the benevolent economy is the mass. and therefore the government is claiming that free and fair elections need to be. also, sanctions free or sanctions really election. so we are dealing with that with a time table as you were mentioning, that is dependent, not only on the progress internally, but also on the progress of negotiate on the progress on the international arena. and, you know, depending on what concessions they, the, by the administration that has started a process of engagement and then it is willing to make or so on. so let's talk about the international curious, hey, i mean, on the one side you go cuba, china, turkey, iran and russia, backing madura and then you have the west effectively in the you at some point, probably a little bit less i right now. any of these countries or any of these roles of

these, the split between the international community as any of that been useful for venezuela? no, i mean, i think the polarization that you refer to which, you know, the international population obviously reflects the domestic book reservation. and this is, they come from originally being and domestic venezuelan crisis. it's extended into the region with massive migration for us, unprecedented refugee crisis. 7000000 venezuelans estimated to let the country out of the nation around 30000000. that's creating enormous pressures within the region . lots of other aspects of the crisis, obviously a fact that as well as neighbors and then now it's the global geo political crisis as well, in the sense that, you know, when, when a, you know, us russia, in china, if they ever do sit around the table you know, venezuela is, is, is on the agenda may not be at the top certainly, but it's, but it's item that this is not, this is not been useful. but what that does mean,

of course, is to me we're saying is that the, you know, the us and its allies and my daughter's eyes in the form of the russians, the chinese geraniums and so on that have a role in resolving this and the focus of course has to be on the recent resume in mexico city beach, following between the government, all the user to file for the least a portion of the opposition that's in that's in negotiation with the government that has to be backed solidly backed by the international community. but also those folks have to be connected in some way to the vendors, other people and civil society at the moment. they operating almost in a vacuum and against those to me. i mentioned the reality of those folks is that they are in essence and negotiation between correctness in washington in which the opposition is kind of an instrument, but it isn't really doesn't really have an awful lot to put on the table. so that

needs to be a way in which those tools almost decided that those tools is connected to what meant as well as on the ground here. that as well when i civil society really wants through consultation mechanisms which are in the memorandum of understanding of which there's tools to set up a vanessa that's a pretty pessimistic assessment of the international communities role. is there any, any optimism here when it comes to the international community? i mean, optimism, i mean, i think that there's plenty, i just think that the sort of geopolitical test games, you know, we'll, we'll continue to pay. i mean, there are other options for us on demand as well, that were a key key things, including in helping europe get through the ukranian war. i mean, there are, there are the ones about us why has really been under explored. and it's not just about the oil, there are tremendous other resources, including a tremendous amount of natural gas, more than cutoff, actually, that, that are strategically important minerals and also, you know, it's, it's

a graphic importance in time. so for international shipping names and all of that, so i think that there's, there's not 2 things that you know can can be done, but it's one that actually weren't done because of the terrible cryptography and corruption and mismanagement really under the, under the under chinese small now granted, i've always said that there was actually mismanagement and corruption prior to each other. so that's not really new to that. but it really grew exponentially. and i agree that i and i, i agree, and i disagree with some things that so constance, that, for instance, i think negotiates is, in mexico, are sort of somewhat irrelevant because i, i do agree with that that they are basically a proxy between washington and the opposition? the problem with the opposition. one of the many reasons why resigned is they didn't really seem to have, you know, a, what do they want? i and other venice wise ask for, you know,

you guys sitting down at the table in mexico. what is your list of demands on venice? one citizen, i'm supposed to be represented by you. what is your list of demands? can you please tell us? and they can't. i know what a reasonable wants, but i don't know what the opposition wants, and that's not, you know, as you know, from political negotiations anywhere in the world where it's middle east, peace, or northern ireland. if you know what the list of demands is, you're in series, you're in serious trouble. so it's complicated. it's very complicated. but to where . busy one of the things it seems you coming out here right now is the idea that whoever controls the foreign assets is going to be the de facto leader of venezuela is, is that crucial for the future? well, what is crucial for the future is for been as well. is it again, an oil based economy to turn around it all sector oil and gas is that is the mention by the way, because it is home to

a massive on reserves of gas that could be of use, especially as you mentioned to your so what, what is what is real? yes and is to land the been, is within society to basically take care of its own development at the moment on fortunately, live that economic situation of the country has improved since 2021. the economy is growing again, but that is mostly the fact of internal reforms that were passed by the government and you were mentioning to whoever i mean, who runs the country, there is absolutely no doubt that it is the government sydney can act as that is decided by nicholas the access to foreign asset is at the same time, symbolic something that you know, that pertains to the sovereignty of the country. regardless of the opinion,

one could have on how the country's rule is that those belong to the state of venezuela. so it should be under the control of an government and again, its own economy has started to grow. so in terms of where we owe money, i'm sorry we are running out of it. i do want to come very quickly to fill guns and was will fill the pain the picture that's been painted. it was that this could have been a very simple domestic political dispute, but it was made worse by international involvement. you know, i wouldn't put it that way. i mean, i think this is a very complex domestic dispute, which essentially, you know, has to do with the dismantling of that as well. and institutions. the fact that the, you know, the opposition is, has a certain space within which to operate with cannot challenge chevy's more for national power. and song is that remains the case. then, you know, the long john will continue the impulse of mexico. and i understand, well,

when i was saying about, you know, the mexico is kind of irrelevant. but mexico is the place at which, you know, even which agreements that have to do, obviously not just with the opposition, but the u. s. as well as well. and government, these, these agreements can be ratified and it's a process didn't sit down in mexico and discuss these things and discuss those where it's the process that i'm referring to, that negotiating process which ought to work according to the plan of the, by to ministration reciprocally. so the concessions on a side match with sanctions release primarily from the u. s. that will to work, but it needs to be started by you know, government hearing, correct. that is, we actually contemplate down the line at some point losing power, which currently doesn't seem to be willing to do. i want to thank all our guests and norman and phil guns,

and i want to thank you as well for watching. now you can see the program again, any time by visiting our website out there a dot com for further discussion. go to our facebook page at facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story. and you can also join the conversation on twitter. handle is at a inside story. for me, i'm wrong count on the whole team head. i don't know. ah, ah, with a on january 1st, croatia will become the 20th country to join the euro. but after

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