VENEZUELA’S socialist government and right-wing opposition agreed to de-escalate tensions early yesterday at the end of marathon talks.

After a six-hour meeting that wrapped up at 2am, the United Socialist Party (PSUV) government and the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) coalition said they would set up committees to address the economy, electoral schedule, human rights and the rule of law.

Those talks will be mediated by a Vatican envoy and former leaders of Spain, Panama and the Dominican Republic, all of whom were at the meeting along with President Nicolas Maduro at the Alejandro Otero museum in Caracas.