Tuesday, June 9th 2026 - 06:59 UTC
At his customary press conference, Cabello dismissed rumors of a possible dialogue as “idle talk” and denied that “any meeting anywhere in the world” had taken place
Venezuela's Interior, Justice and Peace Minister and secretary general of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, on Monday ruled out any political negotiation with opposition leader María Corina Machado and with the Democratic Unitary Platform, days after the opposition made an unprecedented offer to sit down for talks with chavismo. “There is nothing on the table with them, and even less with her,” he said.
At his customary press conference, Cabello dismissed rumors of a possible dialogue as “idle talk” and denied that “any meeting anywhere in the world” had taken place. According to the official, the opposition fabricates such accounts “to give themselves hope,” for lack of political options. He also said chavismo “knows how to sit down and talk” and recalled that Venezuela “has lived in a process of permanent dialogue” since Hugo Chávez came to power, though he made clear there was nothing on the table with Machado.
The remarks respond to the “Panama Manifesto,” signed on May 28 in that country by the Unitary Platform, which brings together Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia. In the document, the opposition expressed its willingness to pursue “a serious, firm and responsible political negotiation” with the interim government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, with the accompaniment of the United States, to “restore democracy” through a presidential election. The text, which also demands the release of political prisoners, envisions Machado leading the negotiating team. It marks an unprecedented shift, since the leader —winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize— had never accepted negotiating with the government.
