Argentine President Calls on Latin American Countries to Support Dialogue in Venezuela

By Staff, Agencies

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on Thursday called on Latin American countries to support the dialogue between the Venezuelan authorities and the opposition.

"We call on Latin American and Caribbean countries to support the dialogue," Fernandez tweeted, adding that "the resumption of the dialogue is a renewed hope that Venezuelans can find a way out of the crisis."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday that Caracas is ready to revive the dialogue with the opposition with the mediation of Norway and Mexico.

"I extend my hands for dialogue, as always, to the entire Venezuelan opposition. My thanks to Norway and the Mexican government for their readiness to establish peace and dialogue. This is the way, the democratic way," the president said on Twitter.

The Norwegian embassy in Mexico said earlier in the day that Mexico City will host a new round of talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition on Saturday following a year-long hiatus. The negotiations would culminate in the signing of "a partial agreement on social matters," according to the embassy's Twitter.

President of the National Assembly of Venezuela Jorge Rodriguez said on Thursday that the agreement between Venezuelan authorities and opposition announced before a new round of talks includes the return of frozen overseas assets to the Venezuelan government. He added that the draft agreement had already been considered by the Venezuelan government with the mediation of Norway.

The government and the opposition Unitary Platform broke off the talks in October last year after the African nation of Cabo Verde extradited Maduro's negotiator Alex Saab to the United States.

Before the hiatus, the negotiators had signed a memorandum of understanding that included the election timeline. The opposition is seeking a fresh vote in 2024 after the 2018 election handed a second term to President Maduro, prompting accusations of fraud from the US and its allies.