U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres is urging the government and opposition in Venezuela to restart negotiations to find a political solution to the country's political crisis.
“Venezuela needs a political solution based on dialogue and compromise between the government and the opposition,” Guterres said Wednesday during a short news conference.
“I recognize the efforts that the international facilitators and regional leaders that are assisting Venezuelan government and opposition in trying to advance political negotiations,” Guterres said. “I strongly support those efforts.”
The U.N. chief said he has been in close contact with the facilitators.
At least 120 people have died in political violence engulfing the country since April.
“It is very clear that Latin America has successfully struggled over the last decades to free itself from both foreign intervention and authoritarianism,” Guterres said when asked about the government’s repression of protesters. “And I think that this is a legacy that must be safeguarded.”
