VENEZUELA’S opposition has called off today’s regime-change march after Vatican-mediated talks with the socialist government.

The Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) coalition had cancelled the march on the Miraflores palace in Caracas on Tuesday after the government freed four detained opposition activists — two of whom were held for possessing explosives.

Mud secretary-general Jesus Torrealba said the coalition would also delay a political “trial” against President Nicolas Maduro in the Mud-controlled Congress to which they had summoned him for breaking the constitution.

But a war of words broke out just hours after the agreement was reached, with Mr Torrealba accusing Mr Maduro of “attacking the negotiating table” and mocking the Pope after he called far-right Popular Will (VP) party acting leader Freddy Guevara a “terrorist.”

Tensions reignited after Mr Guevara said he opposed the decision to call off the march.

Earlier Mr Torrealba had called the release of the prisoners “important but insufficient,” claiming another 100 jailed opposition figures were “political prisoners.”

He also repeated demands for a presidential recall referendum before mid-January, which the National Electoral Council (CNE) had already said was an unrealistic timeframe.

“The releases need to continue. They should reinstate the recall referendum or, failing that, advance presidential elections,” he said.

Mr Maduro welcomed the Mud moves on his weekly TV programme, saying: “Venezuela is not going to return to coups d’etat, to violence.

“We need peace in the country to continue building a new society, a new economic model.”