Venezuela Police, Protesters Clash in Capital
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Hundreds of anti-government protesters clashed with security forces in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas on Saturday as the talks on future of Venezuela began.
National Guard troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of demonstrators in the eastern part of capital, Caracas, on Saturday.
The demonstration was organized by opposition members who refuse to take part in the talks between the opposition and the administration of President Nicolas Maduro, Press TV reported.
Maduro and the opposition Democratic Unity Coalition (MUD) for the first time held a televised meeting on April 10 in a possible first step toward defusing tensions that have escalated during two months of anti- and pro-government protests in the Latin American country.
Foreign ministers of Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador as well as Vatican’s ambassador to Venezuela Archbishop Aldo Giordano also attended the meeting, urging the two sides to find common ground to end weeks of deadly unrest in the country.
Maduro agreed to the face-to-face meeting with opposition leaders after the regional group of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) offered to mediate between the government and the opposition last month.
Venezuela has been the scene of violent protests against and in support of the government since mid-February.
President Maduro says the street clashes have inflicted some ten billion dollars in damage on the Venezuela economy.
Caracas says the opposition seeks to launch a coup d’état against the government with the backing of the United States.
The opposition, however, blames the Maduro administration for rampant crime, soaring inflation and shortage of essential goods.
