A meeting between the Venezuelan government and the opposition to resolve the country’s deep political crisis ended without agreement on Wednesday, the opposition said, although negotiators left the door open to further talks. Representatives of the government of Nicolas Maduro met envoys sent by opposition leader Juan Guaid6 to Oslo. Unlike a meeting held in Norway’s capital earlier this month, the two sides met face to face. “This meeting ended without agreement,” Mr Guaid6 ‘s team said in a statement afterward. “We thank the government of Norway for its willingness to contribute to a solution to the chaos that our country is suffering.”
The Maduro government did not comment on the outcome of the talks. The Norwegians said earlier in the day that both sides had shown willingness to reach a deal. Mr. Maduro and Mr. Guaid6 have been locked in a power struggle since the start of the year, when the opposition leader declared himself Venezuela’s interim president, arguing that Mr. Maduro had usurped power on the basis of bogus elections.
Neither side has scored a decisive victory, and their struggle has largely ground to a halt. Mr. Maduro controls most state institutions and has the support of the armed forces, while Mr. Guaid6 enjoys the backing of the US and most countries in Europe and Latin America. The stalemate has forced both sides to negotiate. The talks in Oslo were the clearest sign yet that there could be a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Separately, the EU and some Latin American countries have set up an international contact group to look for ways out of the impasse. The Group of Lima – which includes most major countries in the region – has also put pressure on Mr. Maduro to stand down. Mr. Guaid6’s team said it was willing to work further with the Norwegians, “just as we have been doing with the Group of Lima and the contact group”.