Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Friday with the leader of a Venezuelan opposition delegation, which is in talks with the country’s government over what Rubio called “lasting democratic change,” in Washington.
After his discussion with Dinorah Figuera, president of Venezuela’s now-exiled, opposition-led 2015 National Assembly, Rubio said the negotiations had “100 percent support” from Washington.
Since its capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, the United States has worked with the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president, drawing criticism from opposition groups and others who favor a push for swift elections.
The negotiations are focused on rebuilding institutions, including Venezuela’s supreme court and electoral commission, to underpin free and fair elections. Since 2000, there have been at least eight rounds of negotiations between the government and the opposition.
In remarks after the meeting, Rubio said the talks have “the strongest possible support from the highest levels of our government.” He called for “a peaceful transition to a permanent and enduring democracy.”
The meeting comes days before a third round of talks resume in Caracas. Since mid-August, Figuera’s delegation and the Venezuelan government have reached agreements on releasing political prisoners, unblocking some independent media and restructuring the Supreme Court. At least 300 people remain arbitrarily detained, according to the human rights organization Foro Penal.
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