CARACAS: A delegation from the Norwegian government has come to Venezuela to restart talks between the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition that were halted last week after Maduro’s allies pulled out, according to four sources and opposition leader Juan Guaido.

 Maduro last week said the government would not attend a scheduled round of talks in Barbados to protest the opposition’s support for new US sanctions against his government. The Norwegian delegation arrived on Tuesday to speak separately with the opposition and the government to restart the proceedings, which are meant to resolve the country’s political stalemate, two of the sources said.

 Neither Venezuela’s Information Ministry nor the Norwegian Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.

 “There is no new (meeting) planned, but yes, the representatives of the Kingdom of Norway are here in the country,” Guaido told reporters. “The regime in previous years used (dialogue) to stall for time or to generate doubts within the opposition. They will not do so in this case.”

 Guaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was fraudulent, and has promised to end an economic crisis that spurred mass migration.

 Guaido, who has been recognised by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate president, described the new Washington sanctions as “penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”

 Maduro calls Guaido a Washington-backed puppet who is seeking to overthrow his government.

 The Norway-backed talks began in May following a failed uprising against Maduro but have not yet yielded any official results.

 Separately, the United Nations launched an appeal on Wednesday calling for $223 million of humanitarian aid for 2.6 million Venezuelans until the end of the year as part of a “scale-up strategy” launched last October. — Reuters </s> CARACAS (Reuters) - A delegation from the Norwegian government has come to Venezuela to restart talks between the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition that were halted last week after Maduro’s allies pulled out, four sources familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.

Maduro last week said the government would not attend a scheduled round of talks in Barbados to protest the opposition’s support for new U.S. sanctions against his government.

The Norwegian delegation arrived on Tuesday to speak separately with the opposition and the government to restart the proceedings, which are meant to resolve the country’s political stalemate, two of the sources said.

Neither Venezuela’s Information Ministry nor the Norwegian Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was fraudulent and has promised to end an economic crisis that spurred mass migration.

Guaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate president, described the new Washington sanctions as “penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”

Maduro calls Guaido a Washington-backed puppet who is seeking to overthrow his government.

The Norway-backed talks began in May following a failed uprising against Maduro but have not yet yielded any official results. </s> OSLO: The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition are continuing talks in Barbados to try to find ways to resolve the Latin American country's political crisis, the Foreign Ministry of mediator Norway said on Friday (Aug 2).

Friday's statement, the first in three weeks, came a day after US President Donald Trump said he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela and ahead of a summit in Peru on the Venezuelan crisis, which US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend.

"Τhe representatives of the main political actors in Venezuela are continuing the negotiations. ... Τhe parties have reiterated their willingness to advance in the search for an agreed-upon and constitutional solution," Norway's Foreign Ministry said.

The opposition's main negotiator, Stalin Gonzalez, thanked the government of Norway in a tweet shortly after the ministry's statement, ratifying his party's proposal for a constitutional solution.

Juan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution in January to assume a rival interim presidency after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud. Maduro calls Guaido a puppet of the United States and blames Venezuela's severe economic problems on US sanctions meant to force him from office. </s> OSLO/CARACAS Aug 2 (Reuters) - The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition are continuing to hold talks in Barbados in an effort to find ways to resolve the Latin American country's political crisis, the Foreign Ministry of mediator Norway said on Friday.

Friday's statement, the first in three weeks, came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela and ahead of a summit in Peru on the Venezuelan crisis, which U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend.

"he representatives of the main political actors in Venezuela are continuing the negotiations ... he parties have reiterated their willingness to advance in the search for an agreed upon and constitutional solution," Norway's Foreign Ministry said.

Maduro, who after saying the dialogue was progressing and that he would "meet even with the devil," alleged that the United States is timing new sanctions on Venezuelan officials to coincide with the new rounds of talks.

The Trump administration on Friday slapped sanctions on two security officials for alleged human rights violations.

"Every time there has been a dialogue session, the U.S. government makes bad, perverse decisions like it took this week," Maduro said in a Friday evening state television broadcast. "Illegal, spurious decisions. Stupid decisions about supposed sanctions."

The opposition's main negotiator, Stalin Gonzalez, thanked the government of Norway in a tweet shortly after the ministry's statement, ratifying his party's proposal for a constitutional solution.

Juan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution in January to assume a rival interim presidency after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud. Maduro calls Guaido a puppet of the United States and blames Venezuela's severe economic problems on U.S. sanctions meant to force him from office. (Reporting by Lefteris Karagiannopoulos; additional reporting by Sarah Kinosian; editing by Leslie Adler and G Crosse) </s> CARACAS (Reuters) - A delegation from the Norwegian government has come to Venezuela to restart talks between the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition that were halted last week after Maduro’s allies pulled out, according to four sources and opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country's rightful interim ruler, talks to the media as he attends a session of Venezuela's National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela August 13, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero

Maduro last week said the government would not attend a scheduled round of talks in Barbados to protest the opposition’s support for new U.S. sanctions against his government.

The Norwegian delegation arrived on Tuesday to speak separately with the opposition and the government to restart the proceedings, which are meant to resolve the country’s political stalemate, two of the sources said.

Neither Venezuela’s Information Ministry nor the Norwegian Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.

“There is no new (meeting) planned, but yes, the representatives of the Kingdom of Norway are here in the country,” Guaido told reporters. “The regime in previous years used (dialogue) to stall for time or to generate doubts within the opposition. They will not do so in this case.”

Guaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was fraudulent, and has promised to end an economic crisis that spurred mass migration.

Guaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate president, described the new Washington sanctions as “penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”

Maduro calls Guaido a Washington-backed puppet who is seeking to overthrow his government.

The Norway-backed talks began in May following a failed uprising against Maduro but have not yet yielded any official results.

Separately, the United Nations launched an appeal on Wednesday calling for $223 million of humanitarian aid for 2.6 million Venezuelans until the end of the year as part of a “scale-up strategy” launched last October.

The appeal includes 98 projects that will be implemented by more than 60 U.N. agencies and partners, and covers health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, food security and protection, the United Nations said.

“It seeks to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian organizations and further open the operational space in country, thus laying the foundation to widen the response and reach a larger target population in 2020,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. </s> Representatives from Norway are in Venezuela to try to kick-start crisis talks between the government and opposition, parliament speaker Juan Guaido said on Wednesday.

[CARACAS] Representatives from Norway are in Venezuela to try to kick-start crisis talks between the government and opposition, parliament speaker Juan Guaido said on Wednesday.

Negotiations to end the political crisis sparked when opposition leader Mr Guaido pronounced himself acting president in January, began in Oslo in May.

But President Nicolas Maduro called off the talks a week ago in response to new United States sanctions against his government.

"There's no programed date" to restart the talks, "but yes, representatives of... Norway are here," said Mr Guaido.

They are "persisting with the negotiation mechanism," he said.

The US is one of more than 50 countries to have recognised Mr Guaido as interim president.

Mr Guaido made his claim after the opposition-controlled legislature branded Mr Maduro a "usurper" over his re-election last year in a poll widely viewed as rigged.

Mr Guaido wants Mr Maduro to step down so new elections can be held, but the socialist leader has dismissed that demand out of hand.

Last week, Mr Maduro did leave room for the talks to recommence, and Mr Guaido says the government delegates will come back to the negotiating table "sooner or later".

Talks began in Oslo in May before being moved to Barbados where several rounds have been held since the start of July.

In addition to the political standoff, Venezuela is suffering one of the worst economic crises in its history with a quarter of its 30 million population in need of aid, according to the United Nations. </s> CARACAS — A delegation from the Norwegian government has come to Venezuela to restart talks between the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition that were halted last week after Maduro’s allies pulled out, four sources familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.

Maduro last week said the government would not attend a scheduled round of talks in Barbados to protest the opposition’s support for new U.S. sanctions against his government.

The Norwegian delegation arrived on Tuesday to speak separately with the opposition and the government to restart the proceedings, which are meant to resolve the country’s political stalemate, two of the sources said.

Neither Venezuela’s Information Ministry nor the Norwegian Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was fraudulent, and has promised to end an economic crisis that spurred mass migration.

Guaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate president, described the new Washington sanctions as “penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”

Maduro calls Guaido a Washington-backed puppet who is seeking to overthrow his government.

The Norway-backed talks began in May following a failed uprising against Maduro but have not yet yielded any official results.

Separately, the United Nations launched an appeal on Wednesday calling for $223 million for humanitarian aid to 2.6 million Venezuelan children, women and men until the end of the year as part of a “scale-up strategy” launched last October.

The appeal includes 98 projects that will be implemented by more than 60 U.N. agencies and partners, and covers health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, food security and protection, the United Nations said.

“It seeks to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian organizations and further open the operational space in country, thus laying the foundation to widen the response and reach a larger target population in 2020,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. (Reporting by Mayela Armas, Vivian Sequera and Deisy Buitrago in Caracas and Michelle Nichols in New York Writing by Brian Ellsworth Editing by Bill Trott and Jonathan Oatis) </s> OSLO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition are continuing talks in Barbados to try to find ways to resolve the Latin American country's political crisis, the Foreign Ministry of mediator Norway said on Friday.

Friday's statement, the first in three weeks, came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela and ahead of a summit in Peru on the Venezuelan crisis, which U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend.

"he representatives of the main political actors in Venezuela are continuing the negotiations. ... he parties have reiterated their willingness to advance in the search for an agreed-upon and constitutional solution," Norway's Foreign Ministry said.

The opposition's main negotiator, Stalin Gonzalez, thanked the government of Norway in a tweet shortly after the ministry's statement, ratifying his party's proposal for a constitutional solution.

Juan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution in January to assume a rival interim presidency after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud. Maduro calls Guaido a puppet of the United States and blames Venezuela's severe economic problems on U.S. sanctions meant to force him from office. (Reporting by Lefteris Karagiannopoulos Additional reporting by Sarah Kinosian Editing by Leslie Adler) </s> Self-proclaimed Venezuelan interim president Juan Guaido said here Thursday that his representatives have been meeting in Norway with officials from the government of incumbent head of state Nicolas Maduro, confirming reports in Norwegian media.

"Yes, there are some people who were sent to Norway," he said during a meeting with supporters in Caracas.

The National Assembly speaker said he would not take part in a "false negotiation that does not lead to three things: end of the usurpation (Maduro's presidency), a transitional government and free elections."

Guaido, who proclaimed himself acting president on Jan. 23, denounces Maduro's May 2018 re-election as illegitimate, a position shared by the United States and other among the upwards of 50 nations who have recognized the opposition leader.

More than 120 other countries - including Russia, China, India and Japan - continue to acknowledge Maduro as president.

Norwegian television network NRK, citing unnamed sources, reported that contacts between the Maduro and Guaido camps began in Cuba before shifting to the Scandinavian country.

NRK said that talks have been held at a secret location in Oslo with the participation of Norway's foreign ministry, which declined to comment on the story.

Representing the Maduro government are Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez and the governor of Miranda state, Hector Rodriguez, according to NRK, while Guaido sent deputy National Assembly speaker Stalin Gonzalez, former lawmaker Gerardo Blyde and one-time government minister Fernando Martinez Mottola.

"There is no type of negotiation," Guaido said in Caracas, only a response to an appeal made by Norway as part of a months-long mediation effort by Oslo.

"It's another initiative from a country that wants to collaborate" in resolving the crisis in Venezuela, he said, adding that "no magic formula exists."

Guaido said that the meetings in Norway were similar to ones he has held with foreign diplomats and officials, such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the discussions his envoy in Washington is scheduled to have with US military commanders.

The assembly speaker urged his supporters not to confuse "objectives, achievements, accomplishment and dreams with the mechanisms to reach them."

During the same event, Guaido announced that he had issued a "pardon" to a former police commander convicted in connection with killings during an abortive 2002 coup against Maduro's predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez.

"Inspector Ivan Simonovis is free today as a result of that Operation Liberty that we are carrying out," Guaido said. "He was liberated."

Simonovis, who was sentenced to 30 years in 2009, had been serving his time under house arrest since 2014.

Word began circulating early Thursday that Simonovis had eluded his guards and left the residence.

Simonovis and two other high-ranking police, Lazaro Forero and Henry Vivas, were found guilty for the deaths of eight of the 19 people who were killed on April 11, 2002, when snipers - some of them cops - opened fire on opposition protesters as they marched to the presidential palace to demand that Chavez step down.

Senior military officers seized on the violence as a pretext to oust Chavez, though their video announcing the move against the president was subsequently found to have been recorded before the shooting began.

While members of the top brass forced Chavez from office, commanders at bases outside Caracas were uneasy with the removal of an elected president and the head of state was restored to power within 48 hours.
A Norwegian delegation arrives in Venezuela to restart dialogues to end the presidential crisis.