A slap in the face to every country that supported these talks
En las márgenes del diálogo venezolano que se desarrolla en México, la inclusión de Alex Saab —empresario colombiano detenido en Cabo Verde y señalado como testaferro del régimen de Maduro— ha revelado las tensiones más profundas de un proceso de paz frágil. Organizaciones de exiliados en Miami denuncian que la oposición, al guardar silencio ante esta maniobra, ha comprometido no solo su propia credibilidad, sino la de todos los actores internacionales que apostaron por el diálogo. En la historia larga de las negociaciones con regímenes autoritarios, este momento recuerda cuánto puede costar la tolerancia táctica cuando se confunde con legitimidad.
- La delegación de Maduro anunció esta semana la incorporación de Saab a las negociaciones de México, un movimiento que muchos leen como una prueba deliberada de hasta dónde puede empujar al proceso sin que nadie lo detenga.
- Veppex, organización de exiliados venezolanos con sede en Miami, calificó la decisión de burla a la comunidad internacional y afrenta directa al gobierno de Estados Unidos, que mantiene cargos de lavado de dinero contra Saab.
- El Tribunal Constitucional de Cabo Verde aprobó la extradición de Saab apenas días antes del anuncio, pero sus abogados ya preparan recursos para buscar aclaraciones sobre el fallo, manteniendo viva la batalla legal.
- La oposición venezolana, sentada al otro lado de la mesa, no objetó públicamente ni se retiró de las conversaciones, y ese silencio se ha convertido en el centro del debate sobre la integridad del diálogo.
- Con una tercera ronda de negociaciones prevista para finales de septiembre, la credibilidad de todo el proceso pende de si la oposición decidirá —o no— trazar una línea ante la presencia de Saab.
El martes, la organización de exiliados venezolanos Veppex emitió desde Miami un comunicado que sacudió el ya tenso ambiente de las conversaciones de paz en México: la inclusión de Alex Saab en las negociaciones era, a su juicio, una burla al proceso entero y un insulto a cada país que había respaldado el diálogo.
Saab no es un personaje menor. Detenido en Cabo Verde desde junio de 2020 y acusado por Estados Unidos de lavado de dinero, es ampliamente considerado el principal intermediario financiero del régimen de Maduro, el hombre que mueve capitales a través de empresas fantasma en nombre del gobierno venezolano. Que el Tribunal Constitucional de Cabo Verde hubiera aprobado su extradición apenas días antes hizo aún más audaz el anuncio de Jorge Rodríguez: Saab sería incorporado a la delegación negociadora del chavismo.
Lo que más indignó a Veppex no fue solo la maniobra del régimen, sino la respuesta de la oposición: silencio. Sin retiro de la mesa, sin objeción pública, sin señal de que existía un límite. Para los exiliados, ese silencio confirmaba un error original —el de haber aceptado sentarse a negociar con Maduro— y revelaba cuánto estaba dispuesta a tolerar la oposición con tal de mantener vivo el diálogo.
Mientras tanto, los abogados de Saab anunciaron que buscarían aclaraciones ante el tribunal caboverdiano, manteniendo abierto el frente legal. Con una tercera ronda de negociaciones programada para finales de septiembre, la pregunta que nadie había respondido aún era si la oposición rompería su silencio —y si lo hacía, si aún estaría a tiempo de recuperar algo de la credibilidad perdida.
On Tuesday, a Venezuelan exile organization based in Miami released a statement that cut to the heart of a deepening crisis in the peace talks unfolding in Mexico. The Organization of Persecuted Venezuelan Exiles, known by its Spanish acronym Veppex, called the inclusion of Colombian businessman Alex Saab in those negotiations a mockery—not just of the process itself, but of every country that had lent its support to the dialogue.
Saab is no minor figure. He has been held in Cape Verde since June 2020, awaiting extradition to the United States on money laundering charges. More significantly, he is widely understood to be the principal financial intermediary for Nicolás Maduro's government, the man who moves money through front companies and shell structures on behalf of the regime. Just days before Veppex issued its statement, Cape Verde's Constitutional Court had approved his extradition, clearing the legal path for him to be handed over to American authorities.
Yet on Tuesday, Jorge Rodríguez, who leads Maduro's delegation at the Mexico talks, announced that Saab would be incorporated into the negotiations. The move was audacious. Veppex responded with fury, calling it a slap in the face to the international community and an affront to the United States government itself. The organization's statement carried an implicit accusation: the opposition, which sits across the table from Maduro's team, had remained silent and passive in the face of this demand. They had not walked out. They had not objected publicly. They had simply accepted it.
The timing added another layer of tension. The peace talks had begun on August 13, with a third round scheduled to take place between September 24 and 27. Saab's lawyers, meanwhile, announced they would seek clarification from Cape Verde's Constitutional Court regarding the extradition approval. The legal battle was far from over, even as the political one intensified.
Veppex's core argument was straightforward: the opposition should never have agreed to sit at a table with Maduro's government in the first place, and their silence now on Saab's inclusion only deepened that original mistake. The exile organization saw the demand as a test—a way for the regime to gauge how much it could push, how much the opposition would tolerate, how much the international community would accept in the name of keeping dialogue alive.
What remained unclear was whether the opposition would break that silence, whether they would draw a line, or whether the talks would continue with Saab's presence casting a shadow over every exchange. The credibility of the entire process seemed to hinge on that answer.
Notable Quotes
The regime's request is a slap in the face to countries supporting these negotiations and an affront to the U.S. government— Veppex (Organization of Persecuted Venezuelan Exiles)
The opposition should never have sat at this table with Maduro's regime— Veppex
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Maduro's team push to include someone facing extradition? Doesn't that undermine their own negotiating position?
It's a show of strength, actually. By demanding Saab's inclusion, they're signaling that they won't be pressured by U.S. law or international courts. It's a test to see how much the opposition will swallow.
And the opposition's silence—is that strategic, or are they just weak?
That's the question everyone's asking. If they stay silent, they look complicit. If they object, they risk walking away from talks that might actually produce something. It's a trap either way.
So Saab matters beyond just this one negotiation?
He's the regime's money man. His extradition would expose financial networks, reveal how the government actually operates. Including him in talks is a way of saying: we're not letting him go, and we're not afraid to say it publicly.
What happens if the opposition does nothing?
Then the exile groups are right—the talks lose legitimacy. You can't claim to be negotiating for democracy while accepting the regime's demand to seat an alleged money launderer at the table.