Jailed ex-leader Maduro welcomes 'any path to dialogue' in Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela: Venezuela’s imprisoned former leader Nicolas Maduro on Sunday welcomed “any path to dialogue,” ahead of a US-backed meeting in the coming week between representatives of the Latin American country’s interim government and opposition leaders.

The leftist Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured in a US military raid in January and are being held in a New York detention center awaiting trial on charges related to drug and firearms trafficking. They have pleaded not guilty.

“We welcome any path to dialogue that helps consolidate peace, coexistence, and reconciliation among Venezuelans,” read a message posted on the official Telegram account of the deposed president.

“To speak of a national renaissance as a common goal is to speak of mutual respect for diversity, of inclusion for everyone,” he added.

It was not immediately clear how Maduro, 63, posted his message from his jail cell, but the former strongman leader is in regular contact with his lawyers as he awaits trial in US federal court.

His son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, who is a lawmaker, reposted the former president’s message on X.

Shortly after Maduro’s ouster, the United States green-lighted his vice president Delcy Rodriguez as the country’s interim leader.

She governs under intense pressure from Washington, which demands Venezuela open up to US companies hungry to profit from its oil, minerals and other resources.

The United States is also pushing for a political dialogue that could lead to a timetable for future elections in Venezuela.

Maduro’s comments come at a key moment, with Venezuela’s government and the opposition announcing Saturday that political transition talks are expected to begin in person in the coming week in Caracas.

National Assembly head Jorge Rodriguez, who is the chief government negotiator and the interim president’s brother, said the timing was agreed after a telephone call with opposition figure Dinorah Figuera.

The talks however are taking place without the participation of the main leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado, who has said she will not obstruct the process.

Venezuela, a country that has the world’s largest proven oil reserves but an economy in shambles, has been in a state of even bigger flux since US forces deposed Maduro.

Devastating June earthquakes killed more than 5,500 people, compounding the country’s woes.

Jorge Rodriguez said the talks will address post-quake assistance, the “reinforcement of democracy,” and political rights.