White House Currently Not Negotiating With Maduro Regime, Reporter Claims

The White House is currently not negotiating with the Maduro regime in Venezuela, a Bloomberg reported claimed, as the deadline for the designation of the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization, which would pave the way for military action against its alleged members, approaches.

Citing a White House official, journalist Eric Martin confirmed that there are no ongoing negotiations even though President Donald Trump said days ago that authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro wants to dialogue and that such a scenario could take place. The New York Times had reported that Trump had in fact authorized back channel negotiations with the regime.

However, a top Colombian official did seem to seek some kind of mediation between the countries, backing a plan that would see Maduro hand over power to a transitional government that would call for new elections.

Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio told Bloomberg on Wednesday that "Maduro would be inclined to accept" if given guarantees that he would be safe from persecution.

"He could leave without necessarily ending up in prison, someone else could come in to lead that transition and allow for elections that are legitimate," Villavicencio added.

At the same time, Villavicencio warned against a U.S. intervention in the country as the Trump administration continues its military buildup off its coast. "Could trigger a humanitarian crisis that would be very difficult to manage," she added.

The claim comes after the Trump administration said this weekend it designated the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization, potentially paving the way for military strikes against regime officials accused of leading it.

The Department of State said in a statement that the designation will go into effect on November 24, adding that the organization is "headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela's military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary."

"Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela's legitimate government. Cartel de los Soles by and with other designated FTOs including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel are responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe," the release adds.

Trump has also approved CIA plans to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, which could potentially pave the way for broader military action inside the country, according to another report.