Summary Ban welcomes the upcoming visit to Venezuela by a delegation of UNASUR foreign ministers
UNITED NATIONS: (AP) - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is backing efforts by South American nations to re-launch a dialogue between Venezuela s government and opposition following new reports of violence.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Wednesday that Ban is concerned at the loss of life.
The killing of a 14-year-old boy by a policeman during an anti-government protest has raised already high tensions amid a government crackdown on the opposition and crippling economic problems.
Dujarric said the U.N. chief supports efforts by the secretary general of the Union of South American Nations, or UNASUR, to resume a dialogue between the government and opposition "to help the country overcome its current challenges and guarantee the human rights of all Venezuelans."
Ban welcomes the upcoming visit to Venezuela by a delegation of UNASUR foreign ministers, he said.
