VENEZUELA: The government and the opposition began talks fraught with tension
On 30 October, the Venezuelan government and opposition, represented by the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) alliance, began a national dialogue process facilitated by the mediation of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the participation of the Vatican in order to find a solution to the crisis gripping the country. The dialogue process established four working groups: respect for sovereignty, reparations for victims, an election timetable and the economy. The MUD has said that progress in the talks depends on the release of over 100 members of the opposition and on the convening of an early presidential election. As a result of the start to the talks, the Venezuelan Congress has postponed the political trial against President Nicolás Maduro in order to avoid influencing them. The Venezuelan government’s first gesture was the release of three opposition activists detained a little over a month ago. The foreign ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Uruguay signed a joint statement expressing their hopes for the talks. On 12 November, the government and the opposition agreed to a joint statement called “Convivir en paz” (“Peaceful co-existence”) in which they pledged to comply with the country’s Constitution and expressed their commitment to peaceful co-existence without violence. In turn, MPs from both parties agreed to implement measures to boost supplies of food and medicine, which are scarce in the country. The process was rife with tension and mutual accusations were made throughout the month, so in an extraordinary session held on 16 November, the Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS) approved a statement of support for the talks in Venezuela, encouraging both sides to achieve concrete results within a reasonable amount of time in order to put an end to the difficult national situation. The next day, the MUD accused the government of breaching the agreements signed at the dialogue table. On 23 November, Henrique Capriles, a key opposition figure, claimed that Maduro’s government had abandoned the political talks, though the president denied this and said that the dialogue would continue to make progress and become consolidated. Capriles has set the deadline for 6 December, the day of the third plenary meeting for MPs, to see the results of the opposition’s talks with the government, and has warned that if there are no results, the talks could end. Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is acting as a mediator, has reaffirmed the validity and strength of the political dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the opposition and has stressed that the talks are the great future and guarantee of peace in the country. (Reuters, 01/11/2016; Efe, 02, 08, 12, 16-17, 20, 24/11/2016)