Venezuela halts talks after Maduro ally extradited to U.S.

MIAMI — Venezuela’s government said Saturday it would halt negotiations with the country’s opposition in retaliation for the extradition the U.S. of a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro wanted on money laundering charges.

Jorge Rodriguez, who has been heading the government’s delegation in talks that started in August, said his team wouldn’t travel to Mexico City for the next scheduled round of talks, although he stopped short of saying the government was abandoning the talks altogether.

The announcement came hours after businessman Alex Saab was put on a U.S.bound plane in Cape Verde after failing in a 16-month fight to prevent his extradition to the U.S. to face money laundering charges in Miami. Saab was arrested in the African archipelago while making a stop on the way to Iran for what Maduro’s government later described as a diplomatic humanitarian mission.

Rodriguez, standing in front of a giant sign reading “Free Alex Saab,” called his arrest an illegal “aggression” by the U.S., which has been pushing for years for Maduro’s removal.