Venezuelan archbishop: government negotiators take ‘very radical’ stand in crisis talks

November 16, 2016

A Venezuelan archbishop has said that the future of negotiations between the government and opposition leaders is unclear, and the country faces an acute economic crisis.

Archbishop Baltazar Porras of Merida reported that shortages in Venezuela are now severe, and nearly half of the nation’s people live in extreme poverty. He warned that talks designed to resolve the crisis are not likely to proceed smoothly, in part because government negotiators are taking a hard line.

“The representatives of the government in this dialogue committee are very radical, so it is not easy to have a conversation with them,” the archbishop said.

 

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Further information:

• Venezuelan new cardinal: The government has chosen the most radical for the negotiating committee (Rome Reports)
• Venezuela faces violence if negotiations break down, Vatican envoy warns (CWN, 11/08)