Venezuela's Maduro: Government and Opposition Will Continue Dialogue Next Week

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced that next week the government and representatives of the opposition will resume peace talks to further consolidate stability in the country.

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"Violence will never be an alternative for the development of our peoples. War will never be an alternative for any people and less for ours," he said on the eve of the country's regional elections, according to AVN.

"Julio Borges will be present as the dialogue continues next week,” Maduro reiterated during a meeting with media workers at Miraflores Palace, the seat of the Venezuelan government.

The right-wing Democratic Unity Table coalition is not united, showing internal differences, as some factions support the call for dialogue to bring definitive peace to the South American country.

Dominican President Danilo Medina, who is acting as mediator, and Spain’s former president Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero initiated the talks, while 12 other Latin American nations expressed their support for the Santo Domingo dialogues.

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Medina invited the Venezuelan government and opposition representatives to resume peace talks in the Caribbean country, which were interrupted when the opposition failed to show for the second round of scheduled talks.

The first round of talks took place on Sept. 13-14, when both parties agreed to continue to dialogue. They also agreed to create a commission comprised of delegates from Venezuela, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia and Nicaragua to ensure their political agreements are carried forward.

Jorge Rodriguez, the head of the Venezuelan delegation at the talks, said a coexistence agreement between the government and the MUD is on the horizon and will be consolidated after the Oct. 15 regional elections, according to Prensa Latina.

“We will sit down after the elections to finalize the coexistence agreement, which has advanced a great deal between sectors of the Venezuelan right and revolutionary forces,” he said.

Maduro has consistently called for dialogue with the opposition, initiating talks brokered by Pope Francis and Unasur that never developed due to the opposition backing out of agreed upon scheduled meetings in January.