Venezuela: Govt. and opposition make first agreements to end political deadlock

The Venezuelan government and the opposition announced that they had made a number of preliminary agreements in a bid to end the escalating political tension, in a press conference in Caracas, Saturday.
The two sides are seeking to defuse the exacerbating political crisis after the National Electoral Council had decided to suspend the process to a recall referendum against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
According to the opposition representative Carlos Ocariz, the two sides were able to reach a number of agreements in regards to the elections in Amazonas and the appointment of new deputies of the National Electoral Council who had been let go by Venezuela's Supreme Court for alleged vote buying.
The two blocs also reported that they had agreed to respect the autonomy of Venezuela's legislature and "constitutionality of the National Assembly."
The Venezuelan government and the opposition also said they had agreed on measures to tackle the food and medicine shortages. The opposition representative noted that they "have also made important agreements with the government to allow for foods and medicine to enter the country, which is necessary for our countrymen in need." He added that they have also made an agreement "to advance policies that would allow the public and private sectors to agree on the efficient and transparent mechanisms to import and distribute goods for consumption."
Furthermore, Vatican-appointed mediator, Monsignor Claudio Celli, announced that the government and the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) are set to enforce a "roadmap to normalise the constitutional relationship between the state powers, explore economic measures that accompany the legal and constitutional (measures) and respect the framework of national sovereignty that contributes to the means of improving the conditions of the population."
The agreements have not yet been finalised, and the talks will reportedly continue in the coming days.