Venezuela transition talks to start in person next week: govt

Political transition talks in Venezuela will begin in person next week in Caracas, the government and the opposition announced Saturday -- the day when negotiations in the troubled South American country were expected to start. 

Venezuela, a country that has the world's largest proven oil reserves but an economy in shambles, has been in a state of even bigger flux since US forces deposed president Nicolas Maduro in January.

Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, who formerly served as Maduro's vice president, has been governing under Washington's watchful eye since then.

Devastating earthquakes last month in the north of the country killed more than 5,500 people, compounding the country's woes.

"We agreed on a first in-person meeting in Caracas next week," Jorge Rodriguez, the head of the National Assembly and chief government negotiator, said after a telephone call with opposition figure Dinorah Figuera.

"We have established a working agenda with clear and verifiable objectives," he said in a statement, noting that the first meeting would address assistance for those affected by the quake, the "reinforcement of democracy," and political rights.

Jorge Rodriguez, who also is the interim leader's brother, said he hoped to launch an "inclusive and efficient" negotiating process.

The government team will also include former foreign minister Jorge Arreaza.

Figuera leads the opposition bloc that in 2015 won a legislative majority, which was backed by Washington but rejected by Maduro. She lived in exile for years.

In a statement, she confirmed the telephone call and the agenda items. Her team did not include any heavyweight opposition figures.

The pair held a meeting just days before the massive earthquakes on June 24.

The transition talks between the interim government in Caracas and the opposition are backed by the United States, which says they will focus on rebuilding democratic institutions, strengthening the electorate and guaranteeing political participation.

Observers are hoping the talks will result in a calendar for new elections.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his satisfaction with Delcy Rodriguez.

But leftist Chavistas, supporters of Maduro's late mentor Hugo Chavez, are distrustful of a process that only includes US-approved representatives.

Venezuela's last ballot in 2024 culminated in a disputed electoral victory for the then-incumbent Maduro, with the opposition claiming that its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia had won.

Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, Gonzalez Urrutia's exiled political ally, has pledged to return to Venezuela, but was not invited to the talks.

Machado, who is based in Panama, has said she does not oppose the negotiations.

Figuera thanked the US government, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in particular, for Washington's support for the transition.

"This marks a new chapter in the fight to build a dignified future for all Venezuelans," the opposition negotiator said in her statement.