CARACAS/DOHA/HOUSTON: Venezuela and the US have progressed in talks that could provide sanctions relief to Caracas by allowing at least one additional foreign oil firm to take Venezuelan crude oil for debt repayment if President Nicolas Maduro resumes negotiations with the opposition in Mexico, five sources said.

Envoys from Caracas and Washington have held several meetings in Doha since last year in a renewed effort to solve a long-running political and economic crisis in Venezuela, including discussions on a presidential election. Separate talks between Maduro’s envoys and the Venezuelan opposition are expected to follow in Mexico in the coming weeks, according to sources.

Washington has been trying to encourage negotiations between Maduro and the political opposition over elections in Venezuela and other demands. Sanctions were imposed following Maduro’s 2018 reelection, which many Western nations considered a sham.

Among the companies that could get a US comfort letter to take Venezuelan oil as debt repayment this time is one of state-run PDVSA’s joint venture partners Maurel & Prom , two of the sources said.