Washington, Jan 12, (dpa/GNA) – US President Donald Trump, is due to meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday, according to media reports.
The visit is set to take place at the White House, reports by US broadcasters CNN and CBS News, as well as by Politico, said on Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Machado is currently travelling through Europe. In December, she made her first public appearance in 11 months to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.
Earlier this month, US forces captured Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a military operation and took them out of the country.
Maduro has since been charged in New York with drug offences. Following the operation, Trump expressed scepticism about Machado’s suitability as his successor.
In his view, Machado enjoys neither the necessary support nor the necessary respect in the country, Trump said.
Meanwhile, Machado recently hinted that she wanted to pass on her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump for his efforts.
When asked by presenter Sean Hannity whether she had offered to give Trump her Nobel Prize, she replied: “It hasn’t happened yet. But I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we believe – the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people – certainly want to, to give it to him and share it with him.”
Machado added: “What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step towards a democratic transition.”
However, according to the Nobel Institute in Oslo, this is not possible. “A Nobel Prize can neither be revoked, shared, nor transferred to others. Once the announcement has been made, the decision stands for all time,” the institute said in a statement.
GNA