Spain denies 'complicity' in Venezuela's Gonzalez signing letter accepting Maduro victory

Spain denies 'complicity' in Venezuela's Gonzalez signing letter accepting Maduro victory

Spain has denied involvement in talks between Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez and President Nicolas Maduro's government for his flight to Spain, before which he signed a letter saying he accepted Maduro's election victory.

Maduro was proclaimed the winner of the South American nation's disputed July vote by electoral and judicial authorities, a claim rejected as false by the opposition.

Gonzalez's letter included an undertaking to limit political activity once in Spain and was signed at the residence of the Spanish ambassador to Caracas, where Gonzalez had taken refuge before his departure.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, held up printed photographs of what he said was the moment the document was signed in his presence as well as that of his sister, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, and Spain's ambassador to Venezuela, Ramon Santos.

However, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters in Brussels on Thursday that his government did not invite anyone to visit Gonzalez at the ambassador's residence.

"The Spanish government, and of course the ambassador, did not take part in any negotiation of any document of any type," Albares said.

Gonzalez, who was granted political asylum in Spain earlier this month, said in a video message released on Wednesday the letter was signed under "coercion, blackmail and pressure."

On Thursday, a senior figure in Spain's opposition People's Party (PP) said Madrid had been complicit in removing Gonzalez from Venezuela, thereby ensuring Maduro would stay in power.

"Beyond watching someone being blackmailed live, it's clear that Spain is involved in perpetuating Maduro as a dictator," PP Vice Secretary Esteban Gonzalez Pons told local radio.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Gonzalez sought to clarify the Spanish government's role prior to his leaving Venezuela.

"The diplomatic efforts carried out had as their sole purpose the facilitation of my exit from the country, without exerting any type of pressure on me," he said in the statement.

Spain's foreign ministry insisted the government had nothing to do with the letter or negotiations for Gonzalez's exit.

"When Gonzalez asked to be received at the Spanish ambassador's residence, he had the guarantee that he could see whomever and make whatever arrangements he decided necessary regarding his situation," it said in a statement.

"The foreign minister gave direct instructions to the ambassador not to interfere in any steps the opposition leader might take."

Gonzalez left Venezuela following the issue of an arrest warrant accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes after the election.

Both Delcy and Jorge Rodriguez have been targeted by European Union sanctions and travel bans since 2018.

Venezuela's national electoral council proclaimed Maduro the victor of the July 28 presidential election, prompting allegations of fraud and widespread protest as the opposition published vote tallies online which they said showed Gonzalez had won.

Earlier this week, a U.N. report said Maduro's government escalated repressive tactics to crush peaceful protests and keep power in the aftermath of the South American country's disputed election.