CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela's opposition, led by Juan Guaidó, have agreed to a measures for battling the new coronavirus to be overseen by international health workers, a first step in years toward cooperation between bitter political rivals for the benefit of the country. While focused narrowly on the pandemic response, experts said Wednesday the agreement opens a window of hope for tackling Venezuela's overarching political stalemate that has left the once-wealthy oil nation in deepening economic and social crisis. Geoff Ramsey of the Washington Office on Latin America think tank said it's the first major agreement successfully forged in recent years between Maduro and the opposition. “It’s hard to overstate how important this is for Venezuela,” Ramsey said. Venezuelans are increasingly losing patience with the lack of progress in finding a political solution, he said, adding that this agreement could next lead to more badly needed humanitarian assistance and create momentum for negotiations for a political solution to the crisis.

Source: International New York Times June 03, 2020 17:13 UTC