The Trump administration is prepared to lift crippling
sanctions on
Venezuela in support of a new proposal to form a transitional government requiring both Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaidó to step aside in favor of a five-person governing council, U.S. officials said.
The one-page “Democratic Transition Framework for Venezuela” was presented Tuesday by
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
It echoes a proposal made over the weekend by Guaidó that shows how growing concerns about the coronavirus, which threatens to overwhelm the South
American country's already collapsed health system and
economy, are reviving U.S. attempts to pull the military apart from Maduro.