- Title: Former Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero calls for national dialogue in Venezuela
- Date: 19th May 2016
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (MAY 19, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE WITH FORMER SPANISH PRIME MINISTER, JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FORMER SPANISH PRESIDENT, JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, SAYING: "The agenda of a national dialogue is an agenda which we have to work on seriously. Both in the meeting with President Nicolas Maduro and in the meeting with the MUD coalition, we have laid out points which the UNASUR and we consider essential for us to focus on." VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FORMER SPANISH PRESIDENT, JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, SAYING: "We must take all precautions in this attempt to constitute a national dialogue. Any expectations are premature. We must work with a pace that is determined by the difficulty of the situation." VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS ZAPATERO LEAVING MEETING WITH PRESIDENT OF THE VENEZUELAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, HENRY RAMOS ALLUP ZAPATERO SPEAKING TO MEDIA ZAPATERO LEAVING MEETING WITH ALLUP
- Embargoed: 3rd June 2016 22:09
- Keywords: Venezuela Nicolas Maduro Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Spain
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0014IH6537
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero called for national dialogue on Thursday (May 19) during an official visit to Venezuela, in efforts to mediate the political crisis between President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition in the OPEC nation.
The former head of state was sent to Caracas along with former Panamanian President Martin Torrijos and former Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, as part of an UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) commission to mediate differences in the crisis stripped country.
"The agenda of a national dialogue is an agenda which we have to work on seriously. Both in the meeting with President Nicolas Maduro and in the meeting with the MUD coalition, we have laid out points which the UNASUR and we consider essential for us to focus on," Zapatero told reporters in Caracas.
The commission met representatives of the MUD opposition coalition on Wednesday (May 18) and President of the National Assembly Henry Ramos Allup on Thursday.
The meetings are taking place as demonstrations and looting are becoming more common amid worsening food shortages, frequent power and water cuts, and inflation that is the highest in the world.
Zapatero called for caution to work through the complicated situation.
"We must take all precautions in this attempt to constitute a national dialogue. Any expectations are premature. We must work with a pace that is determined by the difficulty of the situation," said Zapatero.
The opposition coalition, capitalizing on popular discontent over the economy, won control of the National Assembly in December elections. But all the legislature's measures have been shot down by the government-leaning Supreme Court.
The opposition wants a recall referendum against Maduro this year to force a presidential election. But ruling Socialist Party officials say there is no time to organize a vote in 2016 and the election board is dragging its feet on paperwork. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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