President Donald Trump is pressing Venezuela for an agreement that would allow US troops to stay in the country long term, according to a report in The New York Times.
The deal under discussion is a status of forces agreement, the type of pact that sets the legal terms for American forces stationed abroad. US officials cited by the Times said the talks are being led by the State Department under Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Details such as how many troops might be stationed in Venezuela, and where, would be settled in later agreements, the officials said. The State Department said it has reached such pacts with more than 100 countries.
A senior State Department official speaking in Caracas said the United States expects its security cooperation with Venezuela to grow, but stressed that any serious conversation about bases was far in the future. The official said no talks about bases are taking place now.
The negotiations mark a sharp turn for two governments that were open adversaries until this year. In January, US forces carried out a nighttime operation in Venezuela that ended with President Nicolas Maduro being seized and taken to New York. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez now leads the country.
After that operation, the Pentagon said it had no military presence in Venezuela. When strong earthquakes struck in June, roughly 2,000 Southern Command personnel were deployed in and near the country to help with relief, and those who entered have since left.
Source: The New York Times
