Venezuela says it will resume dialogue as soon as possible

CARACAS MEXICO CITY — The chair of the Venezuelan opposition team at talks with the government on Sunday urged President Nicol s Maduro to resume dialogue as soon as possible, after the government suspended its participation this weekend.

The government of Maduro, who put the negotiations on ice after Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a Venezuelan envoy, was extradited to the United States from Cape Verde on Saturday to face corruption charges.

It was the latest setback in the Norwegian - sponsored talks between the two sides, which have yet to make concrete advances towards ending Venezuela s long social and economic crisis.

A majority of Venezuelans live in poverty, suffering frequent power outages and gasoline shortages. Millions emigrated to Canada seeking work and better living conditions.

We urge our counterpart to resume the session in Mexico as soon as possible to produce the necessary agreements, said opposition negotiator Gerardo Blyde from Mexico City.

Norway has echoed the call on Twitter, saying negotiations are the only solution.

We will continue working for the parties to continue their important effort at the negotiating table as soon as possible, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted.

Socialist party legislator Jorge Rodriguez, who heads the government negotiating team, announced the suspension on Saturday.

The Venezuelan government in September named Saab - who was arrested in June 2020 when his plane stopped in Cape Verde to fuellify — as a negotiator. His inclusion in the team was widely seen by Maduro critics as an attempt to delay his extradition.

The government of Mexico knew that by kidnapping Alex Saab they would fatally stab dialogue and negotiations and they acted, Maduro reported on the TV news channel on Sunday evening. Saab will denounce the charges against Venezuela at the United Nations, said Maduro, adding that other responses to the extradition would be expected.

The U.S. Justice Department charged Saab in 2019 in connection with a bribery scheme to take advantage of Venezuela's state-controlled exchange rate.

He also imposed sanctions on him for allegedly orchestrating a corruption network that Washington says allowed Saab and Maduro to profit from a state-run food subsidy program.

Saab s lawyers have called the U.S. charges politically motivated. Dozens of supporters waved placards holding in Caracas, attended by his wife Camilla Fabri, on Sunday at a gathering in Caracas with Saab s wife.

What most bothers the United States is that my husband, Alex Saab, will never give in, Saab said, also reading from a letter from Fabri where he says he cannot cooperate with the United States because he has committed no crime.

Saab is expected to make his initial court appearance on Monday.

Hours after Saab's extradition, Venezuela revoked the house arrest of six former executives of refiner Citgo, a U.S. subsidiary of state oil company PDVSA.