Venezuela death toll 41 as Maduro opens talks

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro cautioned opposition leaders to keep their expectations modest on Thursday night as he hosted them for mediated talks to stem two months of deadly political unrest.

Mr Maduro has held similar meetings previously but this was the first to include Henrique Capriles, who he narrowly beat in last year’s presidential election, and the first to be brokered by foreign ministers from the Unasur bloc of South American governments.

The six-hour meeting coincided with violence that raised the death toll from the protests against Mr Maduro’s rule to 41, and Mr Capriles warned the unrest would escalate in the absence of political reforms.

“The road here was long and complicated, but it was worth it,” Mr Maduro said earlier in lengthy opening comments.

He cautioned against unrealistic expectations. “There are no negotiations here. No pacts. All we’re looking for is a model of peaceful coexistence, of mutual tolerance.”

Pollsters say approval levels for Mr Maduro and the opposition have fallen during the crisis, while a slowing economy has suffered a further drag from the impact of violent clashes on businesses and transport.

Talks boycott
Dozens of anti-Maduro demonstrators remain in jail and some hardline opposition groups, including the party of jailed protest leader Leopoldo Lopez, boycotted the talks, which took place at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas and were broadcast live on every television channel.

Authorities said on Thursday a policeman was shot dead during a protest in Barquisimeto city, and opposition activists said a woman died in hospital almost a month after being hit by a car while demonstrating in central Valencia. Those fatalities brought the death toll to 41.

About 650 people have been injured since the protests broke out in early February, officials say, and more than 2,000 have been detained. Of them, more than 170 are still behind bars.

Mr Capriles, defeated in last year's election to replace late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, told the foreign ministers of Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador, "Either this situation changes, or it bursts. I hope it changes because I don't want violence."
– (Reuters)