Venezuelan regime and opposition to resume talks soon, sources say

The regime of Nicolas Maduro and Venezuela’s opposition are planning to resume talks in Mexico as early as this month, four sources close to the talks said, reported Reuters. 

"We are working on resuming the dialogue process in November," said one of the people familiar with the arrangements.

The talks, which will be facilitated by the Norwegian government, are expected to focus on negotiating conditions for Venezuela’s next presidential election, the status of hundreds of political prisoners, and U.S. sanctions on Venezuela. 

Additionally, both parties are expected to discuss a “social agreement” that would distribute $3 billion in humanitarian aid from a United Nations administered fund. 

In a joint statement published on Tuesday with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Maduro said he hoped for “a successful return” to dialogues. 

The news of the talks comes after they have been delayed for more than a year. Last year, delegations representing the Maduro government and the opposition, led by Juan Guaido, made no progress and no agreements were reached.

The opposition and the regime have repeatedly delayed dialogue over disagreement on several terms, particularly elections. 

While the U.S. and other nations have tried to encourage dialogue between the two parties, Maduro’s government has said that they will not have dialogues with the opposition until all of the U.S. sanctions are lifted. 

The opposition, for its part, insist on guarantees for a fair and transparent presidential election that is supervised by foreign observers. The request comes after Maduro declared himself to be re-elected for a second six-year term in what has been called a sham election by many countries.