Venezuelan Government and Opposition to Hold Negotiations in Barbados

Negotiations are set to resume Monday between the Venezuelan government and the opposition group calling for its ouster in a bid to end months of political instability, the two sides announced, CNN informed.

Negotiations will be held in Barbados and mediated by Norway, which hosted an Oslo meeting in May that failed to reach an agreement between President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Guaido declared himself acting president of Venezuela in January, challenging Maduro’s claim to have won a 2018 election that international observers said lacked legitimacy. Guaido has called for new, free and fair elections to free Venezuela from Maduro’s “dictatorship.”

“It is clear that in Venezuela there is a dictatorship,” Guaido told CNN Friday. “I think there is no new euphemism that holds. This is to say what happens when there is torture, when there is persecution, when territory is voluntarily given to terrorist organizations in Venezuela.”

Maduro has accused Guaido, his allies and international backers, most notably the United States, of attempting to organize a coup. Dozens of Latin American and Western countries have recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, while Russia, Cuba and China are among the most prominent states supporting Maduro.

Deep divisions in the country were clear on Friday in rival rallies to mark Independence Day. Protesters joined Guaido in one part of the capital of Caracas, while Maduro presided over a colorful military parade in another part of town.

Jorge Rodriguez, the Venezuelan Minister of Communications appointed by Maduro, said in a statement Sunday that government officials will participate in Monday’s negotiations to “look for a constitutional solution for the country.”

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