Venezuelan government goes to second phase of dialogue with economic demands

The Venezuelan government will present in the second phase of negotiations with the opposition, which begins this Friday in Mexico, a "firm petition" that includes "all economic demands", including the lifting of sanctions, President Nicolás Maduro said on Thursday.

According to state television channel VTV, the president met this evening with members of the pro-government delegation, led by the president of the parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, with whom he agreed that the purpose of the request is to "advance in the recovery of the country's economy".

Maduro recently said at a government event that "it is time to return the gold sequestered in the Bank of England, all the bank accounts and lift all sanctions on the state company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) and to give it back to the government. (PDVSA) and the return to the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) of the gold stolen in London and more than 8 billion dollars in the world".

The negotiations that began in Mexico on 13 August, with a first phase that lasted three days, are for the government "an unprecedented success", as it considers that it has forced the "radical opposition" to sit down and talk, despite the fact that the talks were prompted by a proposal launched by the opposition leader Juan Guaidó on 11 May.

The dialogue table was inaugurated with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the parties, which establishes the need for the lifting of sanctions, the promotion of respect for human rights, the holding of elections with "guarantees" and the rejection of any form of political violence against the state and its institutions.

By signing the document, they also make a commitment to defend the national economy, to accept humanitarian initiatives, to recognise the "need to build a vision of a joint future" for Venezuelans and to invite the international community to support these aims.

Between the first phase of negotiations and the second, former Venezuelan opposition deputy Freddy Guevara, a politician very close to Guaidó who was an interlocutor between the parties in previous talks, was released after more than a month in prison.

Guevara had been arrested on 12 July after being accused of involvement with paramilitary groups.

After his release, President Nicolás Maduro said he would be "welcome" in the opposition delegation, should the anti-Chavistas decide to have him join the negotiating group, but the opposition did not comment on his possible participation.