Venezuela government, opposition launch talks

Members of the Venezuelan government and opposition signed a memorandum to open political negotiations on Friday during a meeting in Mexico.

The representatives from both sides signed the document during a ceremony at Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology.

Jorge Ramirez, the president of Venezuela's parliament, said at the beginning of the dialogue that the two sides have to "find points of confluence to guarantee the future and the happiness of the people of Venezuela."

Chair of the Venezuelan opposition delegation Gerardo Blyde said the negotiations will likely be "complex," but added that the objective is to "achieve a comprehensive agreement that benefits everyone." 

The dialogue between the two parties is mediated by Norway, and will include over a dozen countries, such as Russia, the Netherlands and Turkey.

The Mexican government is hosting the talks. Left-leaning Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has previously expressed sympathies for Maduro.

The dialogue could lead to a major breakthrough in the country's political crisis, which began in January 2019, with President Nicolas Maduro and western-backed opposition figure Juan Guaido both claiming to be the Venezuela's legitimate leader.

Maduro and Guaido did not attend the inauguration ceremony on Friday.

What do the two sides want?

The two sides have different goals in the talks.

Maduro has previously demanded that all "legitimate authorities of Venezuela" be recognized and has called on the opposition renounce violence. He has urged the US and western powers to drop sanctions on Venezuela, which he believes are behind the country's severe economic crisis.

Venezuelan political scientist Pedro Urruchurtu recently told DW that the government intends to "buy time" with the talks.

"Additionally, it is taking advantage of the fact that Guaido's interim government and the opposition are worn down. They haven't achieved the results they expected over the past two years," he said regarding the government's motives for the dialogue.

The opposition has called for the release of political prisoners and the entry of humanitarian assistance, such as coronavirus vaccines, into Venezuela. 

Venezuelan polling expert Luis Vicente Leon said Maduro will not give up any power during the negotiations, but there could be progress on some issues, such as political prisoners.

The talks are expected to last until Sunday. The two sides previously failed to reach an agreement during 2019 negotiations in Barbados.

wd/wmr (AFP, Reuters)