Venezuela government to launch formal talks with opposition members

The Venezuelan government has agreed to launch formal talks with opposition representatives, in what international mediators describe as the most significant diplomatic opening in the country's long-running political crisis since the collapse of the last negotiations three years ago.

The talks, which will be hosted by Norway and supported by a group of Latin American and European governments, are expected to address the conditions for free and fair elections, the release of political prisoners and the lifting of international sanctions that have crippled Venezuela's economy. The government of President Nicolás Maduro has also indicated it is prepared to discuss humanitarian access, a significant concession given its long-standing resistance to international involvement in what it regards as internal affairs.

The opposition, which has been fragmented and weakened by years of repression and exile, enters the talks from a position of relative weakness. But international support for a negotiated solution has strengthened, driven by the migration crisis that has seen more than 8 million Venezuelans leave the country, placing enormous strain on neighbouring states, particularly Colombia, Peru and Chile.

The talks face formidable obstacles. The government has used previous negotiations as a tactic to reduce international pressure without making meaningful concessions, and there is deep scepticism among opposition figures and human rights organisations about Maduro's willingness to accept a genuine democratic opening. The opposition's internal divisions also make it difficult to present a unified negotiating position.

The mediators have said the talks should be judged by concrete outcomes rather than promises. The first test will be whether the government is prepared to release a significant number of political prisoners as a confidence-building measure. If it does, the talks will have achieved more than any previous round. If it does not, the cycle of negotiation and disappointment that has defined Venezuela's crisis for a decade will continue.