First face to face: Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guiadó delegates will meet in Norway

Venezuelan President's delegates

Nicolás Maduro

and his rival

Juan Guaidó

they will have their first face to face in Oslo next week, by Norwegian mediation. This was confirmed by the Scandinavian Foreign Ministry in a statement: "We reiterate our commitment to continue to support the search for a solution agreed between the parties to

Venezuela

"

The first meeting in the European city was held last week as part of an "exploratory phase". The delegations met with their hosts but did not have bilateral contacts. However, Guaidó said in a statement that, on this occasion, his delegates "will talk with both the Norwegian government and with representatives of the Maduro regime".

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced that his delegation will be chaired by Minister of Communication and Information Jorge Rodríguez, with the participation of Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and the governor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. State, Miranda, Héctor Rodríguez. "I would like to thank the Norwegian government for all the efforts it has made to continue this step, ready to work on the detailed program on which we have already agreed," said the president in a video that ' he posted on his Twitter social network account.

For its part, the representation of the opposition will be integrated by the vice-president and vice-president of the National Assembly, Stalin González; Fernando Martínez; ex-mayor Gerardo Blyde and the executive of the National Electoral Council, Vicente Díaz.

Guaidó said that he had accepted Norway's invitation, while stating that, as he had already said, the negotiation that they are seeking "is the one that leads to the cessation from the usurpation (of the presidency by Maduro), to the transition and to the free elections. "" Here more, they will never confuse us with a false dialogue ", he had launched a few hours before hundreds of faithful in Carora, in the state of Lara (west) in Venezuela.

The congress leader and the opposition leader announced that they would participate in Norway's invitation to "explore a possible outcome" for

crisis

. Whatever the case may be, he has been cautious about this initiative, aware of the unpopularity of the dialogue between the opponents, disappointed by four unsuccessful attempts since the arrival of Maduro in power. in 2013. The head of parliament also warned that until now no step of "negotiation"

"To avoid any misleading use of this process and generate mistrust, division and pressure relief, we will inform in a timely manner of the measures taken in this case," Guaidó said in his statement. And he stressed: "We will not enter into delaying processes that delay the freedom and the solution to the chaos of which our country is a victim".

In Carora, Guaidó spoke of several battle fronts: "We have done everything and we will insist, because today, by combining all the strategies, all the tools, we will be able to cross the last stage".

Street mobilizations, diplomatic pressure, international cooperation, a contact group, diplomacy, Norway, the Lima group, all we are going to do is confront our people, "said Guaidó, Summing up his menu of strategies to tap for Maduro's release.

The reaction of the United States

The US State Department

He has ratified his support to the Venezuelan people for "he is recovering his democracy and ending the illegitimate regime of Maduro" and stressed that "the only" thing to negotiate with the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro at the table Negotiation will take place in Oslo "these are the conditions of his departure."

"Previous efforts to negotiate the end of the regime and the holding of free elections have failed because the regime has used them to divide the opposition and gain time," the institution said in a statement. communicated. "Free elections can not be supervised by a tyrant," he said.

In addition, he recalled that this Saturday marks the 17 days of "the arrest and disappearance of Edgar Zambrano, first vice president of the National Assembly of Venezuela", defined by the department of state as "the last remaining democratic institution in the country".

"Since his arrest, Zambrano has had no contact with his family or with his lawyers, his whereabouts are unknown and more than two months have pbaded since the imprisonment of Roberto Marrero, a lawyer and acting president of Juan. Guaidó that two of the 800 political prisoners held by the Maduro regime until May 20, "he added.

Finally, the department announced its decision to join "supporters of democracy in Venezuela around the world to condemn their illegal imprisonment by the Maduro regime and demand their immediate release."

Agence AFP, DPA and Reuter
s