Rubio urges broad participation in Venezuela's political transition, backs interim government

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday called on all sectors of Venezuelan society to participate in political transition talks led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez, reaffirming Washington’s full support for the process ahead of a new round of negotiations next week.Speaking alongside Dinorah Figuera, president of Venezuela’s 2015 National Assembly, before their meeting at the State Department, Rubio said the Rodriguez-led transition had the strongest possible backing from the US government.”I want to leave it abundantly clear that this process that she is leading, along with her team, has 100 percent support, the strongest possible support from the highest levels of our government,” Rubio told reporters.He urged political leaders and other stakeholders to engage constructively in the transition, saying the process had already delivered tangible progress but required further results.”We encourage everyone who cares about the future of Venezuela to participate in this process in a way that’s positive. They have already achieved concrete results; more results will be necessary,” Rubio said.”This is going to involve the participation — it has to involve the participation of every sector of society,” he added.In a statement following the meeting, the State Department said Rubio commended Figuera’s leadership in advancing political reconciliation following Operation Absolute Resolve, the US military operation in January that resulted in the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.Rubio also called for further progress on political freedoms and electoral reform ahead of the third round of reconciliation talks, scheduled to begin October 14.According to a separate State Department statement, the upcoming negotiations will focus on finalizing the process for selecting Supreme Court judges and establishing participation guarantees necessary to hold credible elections.Future rounds will address measures to expand political participation, including allowing political parties and leaders to return and take part in Venezuela’s political life.