CARACAS, July 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Dialogue between Venezuela’s opposition and President Nicolas Maduro’s government will resume in Barbados, opposition leader Juan Guaido said, after previous
negotiations in Norway petered out.
“In response to the mediation of the Kingdom of Norway (the opposition)
will attend a meeting with representatives of the regime in Barbados,
to establish a negotiation on the end of the dictatorship,” Guaido said in a
statement, without giving a date for talks to resume.
Maduro’s government suggested talks would resume this week.
Delegations representing the Venezuelan rivals met face-to-face in Oslo for
the first time in late May, in a process begun two weeks earlier under
Norwegian auspices to find a solution to the South American country’s
economic and political crises.
Oil-rich Venezuela has been ravaged by five years of recession marked by
shortages of food, medicine and other basic necessities.
It plunged deeper into political turmoil in January when National Assembly
speaker Guaido declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to
Maduro’s authority.
On Sunday Guaido also announced that he would push for Caracas to rejoin
the Inter-American Defense Treaty, which Venezuela left in 2012.
“We have the legitimate right to build the international capacities and
alliances necessary to protect and defend our people and our sovereignty,”
Guaido said on Twitter.
Guaido is recognized by the United States and more than 50 other countries
but has been unable to dislodge Maduro, who is backed by Cuba, Russia and
China.
In a tweet, Maduro’s Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez implicitly
corroborated Guaido’s announcement by reproducing a Norwegian Foreign
Ministry statement.
“The two parties will meet this week in Barbados to move forward in the
search for a negotiated and constitutional solution,” the statement said.
The Barbados talks will be the third round since May.
Maduro has repeatedly said that the dialogue “will continue” with the
opposition, “for peace in Venezuela.”
During a parade last Friday celebrating the country’s independence, Maduro said there would be “good news” this week about the negotiations. — NNN-AGENCIES
