Maduro salutes dialogue from Brooklyn jail

The ousted president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, welcomed "any path to dialogue" in a message posted on his social media accounts this Sunday, ahead of a first face-to-face meeting next week between representatives of the interim government and the opposition, backed by Washington.

“To speak of a NATIONAL RENAISSANCE as a common goal is to speak of mutual respect in diversity, of the inclusion of everyone (...) We welcome any path of dialogue that helps consolidate peace, coexistence, and unity among Venezuelans,” reads the message posted on the former president’s Telegram account.

“Let us make August a month of wonderful achievements, committed solidarity, sincere dialogue, and spiritual rebirth for Venezuela,” concludes the text on the messaging platform, where a daily countdown of the days of his “abduction” appears, along with occasional comments on certain national holidays.

Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, were captured in a U.S. military operation in January and are being held in a Brooklyn jail, accused of drug and firearms trafficking. Both deny all charges.

Then-Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assumed interim power after the leftist leader's fall. She governs under intense pressure from Washington, which is pushing for a political dialogue that could lead to an electoral calendar and future elections in Venezuela, Clarín reported.

Representatives of Rodríguez’s interim government and a group of opposition members backed by Washington will hold their first round of in-person talks in Caracas next week, the parties said on Saturday.