Venezuela leader’s foes say no more talks without concessions
CARACAS: Venezuela’s opposition has ruled out returning to Vatican-led talks with President Nicolas Maduro’s government unless it makes major concessions amid a crushing economic crisis and bitter political standoff.
The opposition Democratic Unity coalition blames Maduro for the Opec nation’s shrinking and dysfunctional economy and wants to bring forward the next presidential vote, due in late 2018.
However Maduro, 54, the selfdeclared “son” of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, accuses the opposition of seeking a coup and sabotaging the economy to undermine him.
A Papal envoy, South American bloc Unasur and former heads of government from Spain, Panama and the Dominican Republic brought the feuding together at the end of October.
But the opposition walked out earlier this month, saying officials were reneging on accords to allow humanitarian aid, reform the national election board, free sides jailed activists and restore the National Assembly’s powers.
“If these demands ... have not been satisfied by January 13, obviously there will be no conditions to re-establish dialogue,” said coalition head Jesus Torrealba, referring to the next potential date for talks mooted by mediators.
“They are mocking the Venezuelan people and the international community,” he told reporters.
Maduro, whose popularity has hit its lowest level of under 20 per cent, according to pollster Datanalisis, said his team would be ready for January 13 talks come what may. “I want to affirm to Pope Francis ... my commitment to dialogue, peace and the word of God,” he told a radio show. — Reuters MELBOURNE: Unusual torrential rain in Australia’s outback turned the Uluru monolith into a series of cascading waterfalls and triggered flash floods, and seven people are missing including a Japanese tourist who was swept away in a car and an Australian family.
Police were using helicopters to search for the family of six, missing since Christmas Day downpours drenched the desert that is usually sweltering in the midst of the southern summer at this time of year.
A car carrying three people, believed to be Japanese tourists, was washed off a road into a flooded creek near the town of Alice Springs, police said.
Two people managed to get out but police had “grave concerns” for the third who was trapped as the vehicle was washed away, said Acting Superintendent Brendan Muldoon.
— Reuters