UN chief urges Venezuelan gov't, opposition to re-launch talks

A statement from Mr. Guterres' spokesman said the UN chief is closely following events in the country and is convinced the crisis cannot be solved through the imposition of unilateral measures, but requires a political solution based on dialogue and compromise.

“At this critical time,” the Secretary-General urged the Venezuelan Government and the opposition 'to relaunch negotiations for the benefit of the country's people,' said the statement, adding that Mr. Guterres is strongly supporting the ongoing efforts of the international facilitators and regional actors who are seeking to contribute to this end.

The Secretary-General and other top UN officials have been calling for calm amid the escalating political and economic crisis in Venezuela when mass street demonstrations began in the country in April.

Venezuela has been the scene of protests against Maduro’s government for the last four months. More than 120 people have been killed and thousands arrested so far.

Washington blames Maduro for the violence and has urged regional and international governments to take strong action against his government. Maduro, however, says the US and its allies in the region are inciting the violence to bring down his government.

Venezuela's ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Samuel Moncada, has denounced the constant U.S. aggression against his country''s democracy and criticized his insistence on ignoring the National Constituent Assembly, reported Prensa Latina.

Moncada posted on his Twitter account that he considered arrogant the negative position adopted by the U.S. empire over the July 30 elections, in which more than eight million Venezuelans voted for the continuity and improvement of the Bolivarian government project.

'The arrogant power, United States ignores constituent vote but assures that violent groups are majority and should govern. This is the empire,' he posted.

'The countries condemning the popular vote in Venezuela and being quiet facing a terrorist attack on a military base are accomplices to the plan against democracy!' referring to the recent aggression by a group of attackers to the Paramacay Fort in Valencia, Carabobo state, Moncada wrote.

The ambassador also emphasized the double standards of the U.S. government with respect to its domestic measures and foreign interventionist policy.

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