Negotiators return to Norway for crisis talks

Representatives of the Venezuelan government and opposition have returned to Norway for a mediation effort aimed at resolving the political crisis in the South American country, the Norwegian government said Saturday.

Norway said it will facilitate discussions next week in Oslo, an indication that the negotiation track is gaining momentum after months of escalating tension between Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Top Maduro aide Jorge Rodrguez and Hctor Rodrguez, the governor of Miranda state, both of whom were in Oslo earlier this month for an earlier round of exploratory talks, will once again lead the government delegation. They will be joined this time by Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and Larry Devoe, the government’s top human rights official, said a Venezuelan official who was not authorized to discuss the talks and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The opposition delegation is being led by Stalin Gonzlez, a senior member of the opposition-controlled congress, former Caracas area Mayor Gerardo Blyde and former Transport Minister Fernando Martnez Mottola, according to a person familiar with the talks who also spoke on the condition of anonymity. They will be joined by Vicente Diaz, a supporter of past negotiations with the government who previously served on the nation’s electoral council.

Both delegations traveled Saturday for the meetings, according to the two people.