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February 8, 2019

U.S. Special Envoy Elliott Abrams Rules Out Negotiations with Maduro
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On Thursday, the new U.S. special envoy to Venezuela, Elliott Abrams,
ruled out any negotiations with Maduro.

Elliott Abrams: "Maduro has proven he will manipulate any call for
negotiations to his advantage, and he has often used so-called dialogues
as a way to play for time. We urge all involved to deal solely with the
legitimate Guaidó government. The time for dialogue with Maduro has long
passed."

Elliott Abrams is a right-wing hawk who was convicted in 1991 for lying
to Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal, but he was later pardoned.
Abrams also defended Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt as he
oversaw a campaign of mass murder and torture of indigenous people in
Guatemala in the 1980s.


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