* This likely has as much to do with the situation in the Middle East as the migrants, or maybe even more. But if it helps staunch the flow out of Venezuela, that’ll certainly help. Washington Post…

The Biden administration and the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro have agreed to a deal in which the United States would ease sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry and the authoritarian state would allow a competitive, internationally monitored presidential election next year, according to two people familiar with the breakthrough talks.

The sanctions relief is to be announced after Maduro’s government and Venezuela’s U.S.-backed opposition sign an agreement to include commitments by the socialist government to allow a freer vote in 2024, the people said. They are expected to do that during a meeting in Barbados on Tuesday with U.S. officials in attendance.

Maduro, who claimed victory in a 2018 election widely viewed as fraudulent, would agree to a process for lifting bans on opposition candidates running, one of the people said, though it is not clear how quickly that process would take place. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks.

The deal, which follows multiple attempts at negotiation between the Maduro government and opposition, would be the most significant progress in Venezuela’s political stalemate in years. It also suggests a willingness on behalf of the Biden administration to provide incentives to Maduro in the hopes of ensuring free and fair presidential elections in 2024.

* AP…

Mexico hosted multiple rounds of talks in 2021 and 2022. When the sides last met, in November 2022, they agreed to create a U.N.-managed fund to finance health, food and education programs for the poor while the U.S. government agreed to allow oil giant Chevron to pump Venezuelan oil.

Colombia and other countries have tried in recent months to restart negotiations between the sides, but Maduro has demanded that the U.S. drop economic sanctions and unfreeze Venezuelan funds held overseas as a condition of resuming talks.

Norway’s statement Monday said the two sides had decided to resume the dialogue “with the objective of reaching a political agreement.” […]

Earlier Monday, a U.S. official who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations said there was no “deal” between the U.S. government and Venezuela.

The official said the Biden administration supported Venezuelan-led negotiations and was prepared to provide relief from sanctions in response to concrete actions toward holding competitive elections.

* BBC…

Previous attempts at finding a way out of the political deadlock have stalled and while Mr Maduro struck an optimistic note on Monday, he provided little detail.

“We are on the verge of signing new agreements with the opposition, agreements beneficial for peace and the upcoming election,” he said, referring to presidential elections due to be held in Venezuela in 2024. […]

While the Maduro government frequently bashes the US in public, labelling it an “imperialist aggressor” and blaming it for Venezuela’s dire economic state, Mr Maduro is keen to come to an agreement with the Biden administration in order to have US sanctions on Venezuela relaxed.

The US, in turn, has a vested interest in the crisis in Venezuela easing as the dire state of the economy in the Andean country has driven more than seven million to emigrate, with many heading for the United States.

An unnamed US official told the Washington Post that the Biden administration was “prepared to provide sanctions relief in response to concrete actions toward competitive elections”.

* Reuters…

Reuters reported last week that Venezuela and the United States had progressed at their own talks in Qatar toward a deal that could allow at least one additional foreign oil firm to take Venezuelan crude oil for debt repayment if Maduro resumed negotiations with the opposition.

Maduro said late on Monday his government and the opposition would sign a deal he said would be beneficial for a 2024 election, though he offered no further details.

Sources have told Reuters the deal will include an election date in the latter half of next year and allow the participation of opposition figures currently barred from holding office, among other things. It remained unclear whether all opposition candidates would have their bans lifted. […]

The United States imposed sanctions on Venezuela to punish Maduro’s government following a 2018 election that Washington considered a sham. Since 2019, U.S. sanctions have banned PDVSA from exporting its oil to its chosen markets.