Venezuela government, opposition agree to talks
VENEZUELA’S government and opposition leaders were to meet yesterday in a bid to open a dialogue about the country’s deepening political crisis, both sides announced.
An agreement to hold talks was reached on Saturday at a regional summit in Cartagena, Colombia. A representative from the Vatican will also take part, officials said.
“A process of dialogue is being established with opposition groups,” Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said in a speech during the Ibero-American Summit in Cartagena on Saturday.
Opposition leader Jesus Torrealba of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition group said on Saturday although the dissident coalition agreed to take part in the talks, it did so with feelings of “scepticism and distrust”.
The talks were scheduled amid heightened political turmoil in Venezuela, where opposition leaders have vowed to try to hold a legislative trial to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power.
Venezuela is suffering a deep economic crisis – despite boasting the world’s largest oil reserves – because of falling crude prices. The economic upheaval has fed social and political unrest, and dissidents have vowed to topple Maduro, the hand-picked successor of late socialist president Hugo Chavez.
Maduro for his part has threatened to jail his political enemies, while street riots rage and food shortages persist.
Rodriguez said that yesterday’s meeting would aim to end “anti-constitutional, anti-democratic” actions by Venezuela’s dissidents.
Meanwhile, the MUD in a statement reiterated its demands that the government respect the constitutional right to a referendum on removing Maduro, and that it free imprisoned activists.
Dissident leaders on Friday held a partially-observed strike in Venezuela, and recent days have seen fierce clashes involving riot police and pro- and anti-government activists.
Protests earlier in the week drew hundreds of thousands, and the opposition threatened to stage another demonstration this week at the presidential palace.