Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has indicated that he is willing to talk with his counterpart Juan Guaidó. However, on one condition: international mediators should oversee them.
„I’m ready to sit down with the opposition to talk about peace and the future for the benefit of Venezuela,“ Maduro told RIA’s state news agency RIA in an interview published Wednesday. Maduro had already suggested a few days ago possible talks with the other side.
Russian news agency Sputnik quoted him on Wednesday as saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin had helped Venezuela in every way. Russia, like China, had criticized the recent US sanctions against Venezuela and assured Maduro’s government its support.
In Venezuela, a power struggle between Maduro and opposition leader Guaidó has flared up. Guaidó, the United States-backed parliamentary leader, has declared himself a transitional president and wants to force head of state Maduro out of office. Maduro’s re-election last year did not meet democratic standards.
New protests expected
Venezuelan President speaks of a coup against his socialist government. While Guaidó receives broad international support, he lacks a real power position in the country itself. The powerful military holds so far to Maduro.
Meanwhile, Guaidó called his followers to new protests against the government. According to this, there will be decentralized rallies this Wednesday and another mass demonstration on the weekend. Previously, the Venezuelan Supreme Court had suspended a departure ban against Guaidóver and frozen its accounts.
Maduro said in the RIA interview that the army showed loyalty to the country’s legitimate authorities. The US sanctions against Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA he called illegal.
