WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday urged Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro to accept an amnesty offer from opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom Washington has recognized as president.
“I wish Nicolas Maduro and his top advisors a long, quiet retirement, living on a nice beach somewhere far from Venezuela,” national security advisor John Bolton tweeted.
“They should take advantage of President Guaido’s amnesty and move on. The sooner the better,” he said.
Guaido last week declared himself the interim president and was swiftly recognized by the United States and key Latin American nations amid a spiraling economic crisis under Maduro’s leftist regime.
With the military leadership still backing Maduro, Guaido offered amnesty for anyone who disavows the president and has suggested a similar offer for Maduro himself.
Maduro has said he is willing to negotiate with the opposition and even offered to bring forward legislative elections.
But he has dismissed the idea of a new presidential poll. His own re-election last year was widely criticized as a sham.
© Agence France-Presse
