Venezuela: Minister views talks with opposition, defends Brazilian petrol deal.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

December; ellipses as published

Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton Matos, the government delegate to the Negotiations and Agreement Table, has rejected criticism of the commercial operation transacted with Brazil to obtain fuel and has denied that the government is refusing to negotiate a solution to the crisis. "We have to reach an agreement here. We agree that the solution must be peaceful, democratic, constitutional and electoral," he said.

In an interview with Union Radio, Chaderton pointed out that, from the administration's perspective, it is "very difficult to seek common ground when the country's economy is being seriously affected in order to twist the government's arm".

In his opinion, striking PDVSA [Venezuelan Petroleum, SA] managers have assumed an intense political affiliation in taking on the role of the people's sovereign will. "In a negotiating process, things are not as easy as the parties would like... why does the opposition not cease to strangle the economy so that we can solve this problem?" he wondered.

Chaderton believes that with the current "poisoned air", an electoral campaign must come after the ending of violence and the designation of reliable arbitrators in the National Electoral Council.

Furthermore, he underlined that it was the ...