CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 10 (UPI) — Jesus “Chuo” Torrealba, leader of the Venezuelan opposition, said the “truce” between his coalition and the regime of President Nicolas Maduro mediated by the Vatican is “over” on Friday.
Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition leaders, including Torrealba, met with Maduro and other ruling party representatives Oct. 30 for political crisis talks mediated by the Vatican, and former political leaders from the Dominican Republic, Panama and Spain.
“The truce that we, at the request of the Vatican, agreed to allow this table to be installed, is over. That ends Friday the 11th. What comes here is struggle. For us, the dialogue table is simply another stage of struggle,” Torrealba said.
Vatican representative Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, sent by Pope Francis to mediate the talks, recently warned the road ahead “could be of blood” if the negotiations fail.
The opposition seeks to oust Maduro from power through a recall referendum triggered through a constitutional process, which was made more difficult and ultimately suspended by Venezuelan institutions accused of making decisions favorable to Maduro’s socialist regime.
