Venezuela: The keys to the «immediate reformatting» of the dialogue and the «new opportunity» with the US

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, confirmed his decision to move towards a new phase of dialogue, with a view to the «immediate reformatting» and the «dynamization» of the talks between the different political actors.

The Venezuelan president drew at least five lines that will lay the foundations for the next meetings – still without a date – and that would have as a priority to address the «coming processes» of national interest, reports RT.

Maduro‘s proposal comes just after his meeting over the weekend with a US government delegation in Caracas, and in the midst of Venezuela’s call to raise the flags of peace and diplomacy to resolve the situation between Russia and the Ukraine.

What did Maduro propose?

Among the lines that the Venezuelan president established to start the new phase of dialogue in his country are the following:

1. Reactivation and “immediate reformatting” of the talks process.
2. Participation of all political, social, economic, religious and cultural factors.
3. Dynamization of the dialogue mechanism to make it «more inclusive, broad and comprehensive».
4. The granting of «all» the political guarantees for the coming processes.
5. The effective recovery of the country.

“We are moving towards a more inclusive, comprehensive, broad dialogue process, which reaches out to all Venezuelans who want to move our country forward, effectively recover our country”, Maduro stressed.

Venezuela must “set the example”

This is not the first time that the Maduro government has resorted to dialogue. Last year, sectors of the Chavismo and the opposition sat down to talk in Mexico, but the process was suspended after the extradition to the US of the ambassador and plenipotentiary representative of Venezuela in Africa, Alex Saab.

Because of this process, the government delegation immediately ceased the talks with the opposition and set the diplomat’s release as a condition to resume the negotiating table.

«The dialogue in Mexico received a tremendous blow, as you know, but if we are asking for dialogue for the world, we have to set the example in the country. And we are going to reformat the national dialogue process, (so as to make it) a more inclusive, broader dialogue process”, said Maduro.

Along these lines, the Venezuelan president referred to the situation in the Ukraine and rejected the influence that NATO countries have had to escalate the conflict. However, he considered that the main thing is to «seek conditions that allow truly solid agreements», through negotiation between the parties.

«It is the time for diplomacy. It is the time for words. It is the time for truth, and it is the time to rebuild peace and not let it escalate into a situation that gets out of hand, that could generate a great war where we all lose. A great war that affects the development of the planet itself and the life of humanity”, Maduro warned.

«A new opportunity» between Venezuela and the US

In this context, Maduro made a positive assessment of the meeting he held last Saturday with a US government delegation that traveled to Caracas.

«A new opportunity has been given and a new delegation has arrived», Maduro said. According to the president, the meeting was «respectful, cordial, very diplomatic» and had, as its main purpose, «to advance an agenda that allows the well-being and peace of the peoples».

«There were the US and Venezuelan flags, the two flags looked beautiful, united as they should be», the Venezuelan president commented on the conversation that lasted «almost two hours» and in which he was accompanied by his wife Cilia Flores, and the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, who was asked to disclose the details of the meeting at a press conference.

«Conversations, coordination and a positive agenda between the US government and the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will continue forward», he added.

The day before, the White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, confirmed that a US delegation visited Venezuela to discuss, among other issues, energy security, as well as “the health and well-being of US citizens detained» in the Latin American country.