Venezuelan president calls for "respectful" relations, dialogue with U.S.

The Venezuelan government and the United States should have "respectful relations" and a "permanent dialogue", Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told reporters on Monday.

Maduro made the remarks after meeting with Thomas Shannon, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs in Caracas. The meeting came after the government and the opposition held dialogue over the country's political crisis.

Maduro said he also shared with Shannon the discussions he had with OPEC countries during a recent international tour designed to stabilize crude oil prices.

"Beyond the topics we all know, we spoke about the topic of energy, the oil tour I did a week ago," said Maduro, calling on the United States to join relevant talks as "it is becoming a large oil producer."

The American diplomat's visit to Caracas comes at a time when Maduro's government and his political opponents are attempting to find a "common ground" to lower tensions and restore political stability in the country.

Shannon has been responsible for contact with Venezuela. The two countries currently have no ambassadors to each other.

Envoys from Maduro's government and the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) met late Sunday. The two sides agreed to create four commissions to discuss key issues such as how to bring about peace and justice, reparations to victims and reconciliation, society and economic stability, and coordination over the electoral calendar.

The two sides have agreed to meet again on Nov. 11. Endi