Venezuelan president says debt talks "going better than expected"

CARACAS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said here Thursday that the process of restructuring the cash-strapped country's foreign debt was going better than expected with investors' help.

"Venezuela is a responsible country with all of its international commitments ... All of the investors are in communication with the government" and the state-run oil company PDVSA, said Maduro, adding he was confident the talks were "on the right track."

Despite an economic crisis, the South American country had been servicing its debt payments until the United States stepped up economic sanctions against the Venezuelan government and PDVSA to choke off their access to U.S. dollars.

"We are being subjected to international persecution," said Maduro, pointing a finger at right-wing opposition leader Julio Borges for lobbying Washington and the European Union to sanction the Venezuelan government. Enditem