Venezuela's Side Arrives In Mexico For Talks With Opposition - Delegation's Head

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published November 26, 2022 | 07:10 AM

CARACAS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2022) The delegation of Venezuela has arrived in Mexico for Saturday's talks with the country's opposition - the first meeting after a year-long hiatus, Venezuelan delegation head Jorge Rodriguez said on Friday.

The Norwegian embassy in Mexico said on Thursday 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.

"We are very happy to arrive today in this brotherly country that stands in full solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It is already known and has been announced that the goal (of the visit) is to sign a broad social agreement with the Venezuelan opposition," Rodriguez told journalists upon the delegation's arrival in Mexico.

Rodriguez, also the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, said on Thursday that the agreement between the Venezuelan authorities and the 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.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said later in the day that Caracas was ready to revive the dialogue with the opposition with the mediation of Norway and Mexico and thanked both countries for "their readiness to establish peace and dialogue."

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.