(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Venezuelan authorities to "listen carefully to the aspirations" of protesters and engage in dialogue with the opposition.
His comments came before a meeting in Geneva with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua. Ban said that protesters "must resort to peaceful means in delivering and conveying their messages
Eighteen people have died in weeks of anti-government demonstrations. Jaua, who is in Geneva for a meeting of the UN's Human Rights Council, said Venezuela was the victim of a "psychological war" perpetrated by the media. "The propaganda carried out by some national and international media corporations conveys the wrong idea that there is widespread chaos in our country and indiscriminate repression against the people," he sai
It was aimed, he said, at portraying Venezuela as a country that violates human rights to "justify foreign intervention
After the meeting with Jaua, the UN issued a statement saying that Ban had "reiterated his hope to see reduced tensions and the necessary conditions to engage in meaningful dialogue". The protests began in the beginning of February in the western states of Tachira and Merida, when local students took to the streets to demand more security after an alleged rape of a local woma
Many students were arrested. On 12 February, the opposition called for marches in Caracas and other cities to demand the release of all the protesters detaine
Three people were shot dead at the end of marches in Caracas, and police have since arrested five suspect
The deaths have led to daily protests from the opposition, and clashes have become an almost daily occurrenc
Hundreds of people have been arrested, including high-profile opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez. The opposition blames the government for the violence, but also for failed left-wing policies which, in its view, have led to high inflation, rampant crime and the shortage of many staples in shops. Government supporters have also taken to the streets in large numbers over the last weeks in rival marche
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