Maduro open to mediation talks in Trinidad with Venezuelan opposition

(Trinidad Guardian) Venezue­lan Pres­i­dent Nico­las Maduro says he has spo­ken to CARI­COM lead­ers and has told them that he is open to me­di­a­tion talks in “Trinidad and To­ba­go or wher­ev­er”, with the Venezue­lan op­po­si­tion.

His re­mark came in a speech to mem­bers of the Venezue­lan diplo­mat­ic corps in Cara­cas Mon­day.

“As I said to the Caribbean Prime Min­is­ters to­day. They were in New York. They met with the UN Sec­re­tary Gen­er­al An­to­nio Gut­teres. I spoke with all of them at length dur­ing the af­ter­noon. I spoke with Evo Morales (Pres­i­dent of Bo­livia). We are al­so es­tab­lish­ing con­tact with gov­ern­ments who of­fered to me­di­ate di­a­logue and I told them I am ready once again in Venezuela or in Trinidad and To­ba­go or wher­ev­er to be­gin a round of con­ver­sa­tions, di­a­logue, ne­go­ti­a­tions, with all of the Venezue­lan op­po­si­tion when and where they want them.”

Prime Min­is­ter Dr Kei­th Row­ley is cur­ren­ty in New York with the prime min­is­ters of Bar­ba­dos, Mia Mot­t­ley and St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Tim­o­thy Har­ris, for talks with the Unit­ed Na­tions on their po­si­tion to­wards Venezuela.

The CARI­COM po­si­tion is one of non-in­ter­ven­tion and non-in­ter­fer­ence. The lead­ers al­so called for me­di­a­tion in an emer­gency meet­ing last Thurs­day.

Dr Row­ley ex­pressed con­fi­dence of a di­min­ish­ing of ten­sions with­in Venezuela, af­ter Mon­day’s meet­ing at the UN Head­quar­ters in New York.