Brazilian businessman and co-owner of the meat company JBS, Joseli Batista, secretly visited Caracas on November 23 to act as an unofficial mediator in easing tensions between the United States and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
As Bloomberg reports, citing sources, Batista met with Maduro in an attempt to persuade him to agree to a “peaceful transition of power” and comply with US President Donald Trump’s demand that he step down. The visit came days after a tense phone call between Trump and Maduro.
The Trump administration was aware of the visit, but Batista acted on his own initiative, not as a representative of the United States. Batista, whose company JBS has significant ties to both Trump’s inner circle and the Venezuelan authorities, has become another participant in unofficial attempts at dialogue.
It should be noted that tensions between the parties continue, and the United States has concentrated military forces off the coast of Venezuela.
