CIA Director John Ratcliffe met in Caracas on Thursday with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, in a rare high-level engagement since the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by US forces in a military intervention earlier this month, The New York Times reported. The visit followed a phone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Rodriguez the day before and coincided with Trump’s meeting in Washington with the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Maria Corina Machado.

U.S. officials said Ratcliffe conveyed the Trump administration’s support for the interim government as a path to short-term stability in Venezuela.

At Trump’s direction, Ratcliffe has sent a message that Washington aims for a better working relationship, they said. The talks included intelligence cooperation, economic stability and efforts to prevent Venezuela from serving as a haven for “adversaries of the U.S., especially narcotics traffickers,” an official said on condition of anonymity.

U.S. officials reportedly see Rodriguez, who assumed the interim presidency after Maduro’s departure, as a stabilizing figure capable of maintaining control over security forces and key infrastructure during the transition period. US intelligence assessments have described him as pragmatic and open to engagement.

US priorities since Maduro’s ouster have focused on preventing instability in Venezuela, officials have said. The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has reiterated his support for a transition to democracy, acknowledging that a large part of the opposition continues to be abroad.

Source: prizrenpost