Venezuelan president proposes dialogue with US

CARACAS (Xinhua) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Saturday proposed establishment of a commission for "peace and mutual respect of sovereignty" between the United States and his country to start a dialogue to re-establish diplomatic ties.

Maduro headed a rally where thousands of supporters of the Bolivarian Revolution, a leftist social movement and political process that Maduro led now, expressed their support to the Armed Forces and the National Guard after more than a month of violent protests in certain areas of the nation.

The president said he would seek to name National Assembly leader Diosdado Cabello to lead talks with the US and asked for the mediation of representatives of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).

Over the last few weeks, both countries have traded accusations but Maduro has consistently insisted on a dialogue based on mutual respect to end years of tense links between the two countries.

Last Friday, Washington dismissed Maduro's "absurd" accusations that it was meddling in the country's internal affairs by intervening in anti-government violent protests.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua had earlier called top US State Secretary John Kerry a "murderer of the Venezuelan people," accusing him of encouraging the protests that have killed 28 people in five weeks.

"The people and the armed forces are on the streets defending the Bolivarian Revolution and the legacy of Hugo Chavez, the country and our constitution," Maduro told thousands of military officers.

Maduro denounced that the US government pretends to execute a plan to kill him as an extreme measure to generate a political crisis in this South American nation.

The Venezuelan leader told US President Barack Obama that "it would be the worst mistake of his life to order the assassination of the constitutional president of Venezuela to fill this country with violence."

Maduro said he has received information that Obama's advisers from the State Department and the Pentagon have proposed an assassination plan and a coup in this country.

"If the US were to execute that plan and kill me, the people will continue in the streets with the Revolution and our armed forces united," added Maduro.

The Venezuelan president said that Latin America and the Caribbean will reject such scenario or any other economic sanctions that the US pretends to impose against this nation.

At least 28 people have died and 400 others have been injured in the violent protests on Feb. 4 in San Cristobal in western Venezuela, which later spread to Caracas and several other cities.