Norway To Keep Working On Getting Venezuelan Government-Opposition Talks Resumed

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2021) The Norwegian Foreign Ministry, which had been mediating talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition, is calling for the resumption of the negotiations following their suspension over the extradition of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab to the United States.

"Norway remains convinced that negotiations are the only solution for #Venezuela. We will keep working for the parties to, as soon as possible, continue their important effort at the negotiating table for an inclusive political solution for the benefit of the Venezuelan people," the ministry said on Twitter.

Venezuela's opposition on Sunday called on the government to resume the Mexico-hosted negotiations that Caracas suspended over Saab's extradition from Cape Verde to the US. The government announced the decision to suspend its participation on Saturday when Saab was flown to the US.

US Department of Justice spokesperson Nicole Navas Oxman told Sputnik that the Venezuelan diplomat will appear before court in Florida on Monday.

Saab was en route to Iran on a humanitarian mission for the Venezuela government when he was arrested during a fuel stop in Cape Verde last year, on a US extradition warrant. In September, the Constitutional Court of Cape Verde rejected an appeal by Saab's lawyers, thereby supporting his extradition to the United States.

Last month, the Venezuelan government officially included Saab in its delegation to the talks with the opposition.

The Venezuelan government and the opposition signed a memorandum to seek the resolution of the ongoing political crisis in the country on August 13. The memorandum was signed at the first round of negotiations between the government and the opposition in Mexico City. The third round of talks concluded at the end of September.