Venezuelan Parliament: Opposition must abandon hypocrisy
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Venezuelan Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodriguez stresses the need for the opposition to abandon hypocrisy and admit its mistakes if it wants to start dialogue again.
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Venezuelan Parliament: Opposition must abandon hypocrisy.
Venezuela's opposition must abandon hypocrisy and admit its mistakes if talks with the ruling party are to resume, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Wednesday.
Negotiations between Venezuela's government and opposition politicians in Mexico stalled late last year after Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, was extradited to the United States to face alleged money laundering charges.
Talks can begin once Alex Saab is released and control of foreign assets is returned to the government, Rodriguez said at the start of the new session of the ruling party-controlled assembly.
"Enough with the hypocrisy of dialogue ... if you want talks, show respect, if you want talks free Alex Saab, if you want talks return our gold which you stole," said Rodrigo, who led the government delegation in Mexico.
Earlier on Wednesday, opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a resumption of talks to establish fairness guarantees for voters ahead of the presidential elections in 2024.
The ruling party won control of the National Assembly in last year's elections, but Guaido and an opposition commission drawn from those elected to parliament in 2015, who enacted reforms to extend their own mandate, continue to control Venezuela's assets abroad, including US oil refiner Citgo and Colombian fertilizer manufacturer Monomeros.
Maduro directed the National Assembly this week to investigate the opposition politicians who expanded the commission's mandate. The opposition claims Maduro's 2018 election was rigged and that he is an illegitimate leader.
The extension was supported by Maduro's adversary, the United States, which increased sanctions against the government two years ago.
