US hails initial meeting between Venezuelan government, opposition

June 18 (Reuters) - The ‌United States ​said ​on Thursday it welcomed a meeting between Jorge Rodriguez, the head of ‌Venezuela's National Assembly legislature, and Dinorah Figuera, a ⁠former opposition lawmaker, for discussions on a democratic transition ‌in the South American ‌country, including strengthening the National Electoral Council (CNE).

The meeting in Caracas was the first public rapprochement ​between the ruling party and opposition members in nearly three years, since the two ⁠sides signed a deal to hold 2024 presidential elections.

Neither Figuera, ​who served in an opposition-led legislature until 2020 and returned to Venezuela on Thursday ​after living in Spain ‌for some seven years, nor Rodriguez, the brother of acting president Delcy ⁠Rodriguez, provided much detail on the meeting, with the national assembly saying in a short statement tit ⁠was focused on establishing a platform to strengthen “democracy and the ​consolidation of peace,” without providing further details.

"The U.S. understands that this agenda includes key priorities such as rebuilding ‌Venezuela's democratic institutions, strengthening the CNE, reestablishing durable guarantees for political participation, ‌and securing essential civic freedoms for open ⁠political discourse," U.S. State ‌Department spokesperson Tommy ​Pigott said in statement.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Christian ‌Martinez)

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