As talks begin, Venezuela’s Guaido says sceptical of gov’t but looking for agreement
Record ID:
1632109
As talks begin, Venezuela’s Guaido says sceptical of gov’t but looking for agreement
- Title: As talks begin, Venezuela’s Guaido says sceptical of gov’t but looking for agreement
- Date: 14th August 2021
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (AUGUST 12, 2021) (REUTERS) GUAIDO GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE AND GREETING PEOPLE GUAIDO GREETING PEOPLE VARIOUS OF GUAIDO SPEAKING TO MEDIA
- Embargoed: 28th August 2021 18:53
- Keywords: Juan Guaido Mexico President Nicolas Maduro negtiations opposition politics talks
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: South America / Central America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002EQ94S3R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Friday (August 13) he remains sceptical of the government but is hoping a consensus will be reached during a new round of talks held in Mexico.
Representatives of the Venezuelan government and the opposition are meeting in Mexico City aimed at overcoming Venezuela's acute political and economic crisis, which has caused millions to flee the Latin American nation.
Unlike previous negotiation efforts, the talks will include more than a dozen countries, among them the Netherlands, Russia, Bolivia, Turkey and Norway, which will act as the facilitator.
At the National Museum of Anthropology, the parties agreed to a memorandum of understanding containing the road map that will guide the dialogue process.
"We know that the counterpart is a dictatorship, and this (a negotiation) will not be achieved by its goodwill. But we have the support of the democratic world that has pressured the regime and may consider easing it (the pressure) as long as (the negotiation) translates into concrete benefits for all Venezuelans," Guaido said in a video statement released on the same day as talks began.
For the talks to advance to a potential agreement, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demands that sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe on officials and institutions be lifted. Venezuela says the sanctions are responsible for the OPEC member's economic crisis.
For its part, the opposition coalition calls to allow humanitarian aid, including vaccines against COVID-19, to enter into Venezuela; the release of dozens of supporters whom it considers "political prisoners;" and guarantees it will be allowed to participate in regional elections in November.
The return to the negotiating table represents a turnaround for the opposition, which in the past accused Maduro of using dialog to buy time and defuse international pressure. The Venezuelan government abandoned the 2019 dialog, which took place in Barbados and Norway after the United States tightened sanctions.
U.S. President Joe Biden has not relaxed sanctions against the financial and oil sectors of Venezuela since taking office in January and has maintained support for the opposition leader, who declared himself interim president in January 2019 after claiming there was fraud in Maduro's 2018 re-election.
The Venezuelan crisis has generated a massive exodus that the Organization of American States recently estimated would reach 7 million people by 2022, the largest in the world, exceeding the likes of Syria.
(Production: Efrain Otero, Liamar Ramos) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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