Washington, DC - The United States welcomes the announcement by former prime minister of Spain Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, along with former presidents Torrijos of Panama and Fernandez of the Dominican Republic, calling for a national dialogue in Venezuela, and offering to use their “good offices” to facilitate the process. After meeting with both President Maduro and opposition leaders, Zapatero said that all parties had expressed willingness to launch a national dialogue to resolve the serious challenges facing the country.

The United States continues to join with countries in the region and around the world to call for a productive dialogue among all branches of Venezuela's Government. We support this dialogue as a way of guaranteeing respect for the will of the Venezuelan people, the rule of law, the separation of powers, and the democratic process.