Kerry meets with Venezuelan President Maduro amid tension over vote

CARTAGENA, Colombia (Reuters) - US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro yesterday, the first formal meeting between the two since Kerry became the top US diplomat.

The two men sat down together after a ceremony in Cartagena to mark the signing of a peace agreement to end Colombia's civil war. Several journalists were allowed into the meeting as it began, but neither Kerry nor Maduro gave an indication of what they would discuss. Maduro said the peace agreement signed in Cartagena was "like a dream."

"My hope is we could have a serious conversation," Kerry told reporters in Cartagena a few hours before the meeting, although he declined to provide specifics about what he thought might come out of the conversation with a leader who has been a persistent critic of US policy.

"We're not looking for conflict. We're looking for a solution here that works for the people of Venezuela, writ broadly. I welcome the opportunity to have a meeting with President Maduro," Kerry said.

Venezuela and the United States have been at loggerheads since the government of late President Hugo Chavez, with Washington and Caracas exchanging frequent barbs and expelling each other’s diplomats. They currently do not have ambassadors in place following expulsions several years back.

Maduro's government is facing a dire economic and political crisis.

Venezuela's opposition called yesterday for a nationwide rally on October 12 to push for a referendum to recall Maduro this year as they seek to oust his Socialist Party in an early presidential election.