Venezuela opposition leader rejects Maduro talks

CARACAS: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said Friday he would not attend a "fake dialogue" with President Nicolas Maduro, after the latter said he was prepared to meet with his rival for the country's top office.

The two have been locked in a power struggle since Guaido, the leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled legislature, proclaimed himself "acting president" Wednesday, declaring that Maduro's inauguration this month for a new six-year term was illegitimate.

Maduro, 56, said he was open to holding talks with Guaido, 35, whom he referred to as "this young man."

"I'm committed to a national dialogue. Today, tomorrow and always, I'm committed and ready to go wherever I have to. Personally, if I have to meet with this young man... I'll go," the leftist leader told a news conference.

Guido swiftly rejected the offer.

"When they don't get the results they want through repression, they offer us fake dialogue instead," he told a separate news conference in a Caracas square.

"I want that to be clear to the world and to this regime: nobody here is signing up for a false dialogue."

The standoff has split the international community between nations that recognize Guaido as president, including the United States and a dozen countries in the region, and those that still recognize Maduro, including Russia and China.

However, some in the latter group are urging the two sides to hold talks -- including Mexico, which said it was prepared to host them.

"We couldn't carry this out without a request from both sides... (but) we are more than willing to help facilitate a dialogue, without the use of force or violence, to resolve the problems" Venezuela is facing, said Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Mexico is the biggest Latin American player that still recognizes Maduro, but together with Uruguay has urged the two sides to engage in dialogue.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called Thursday for talks, urging both sides to "avoid an escalation that would lead to the kind of conflict that would be a disaster for the people of Venezuela and for the region."

But Guaido showed no signs he was ready to compromise, calling for a "major demonstration" next week and vowing the public would remain in the streets until Maduro quits.