LATAM POLITICS TODAY-Venezuela opposition talks highlight stronger Maduro position
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Brazil's Lula courts UK, others to join rainforest fund
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Chile truckers end strike threatening mining supplies after deal
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Mexico president seeks deal with U.S. on GMO corn
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Honduras to complete talks with UN on anti-corruption mission
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Former Ecuador VP released from prison for second time
Nov 29 (Reuters) -
The latest in Latin American politics today:
Venezuela revived opposition talks highlight strengthened Maduro position
CARACAS - Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro will enter upcoming talks with the country's opposition in a strengthened position that could be bolstered further by a deal to release more than $3 billion in humanitarian funds, analysts said.
Government and opposition delegates met on Saturday in Mexico City after more than a one-year pause. In renewed negotiations, the parties signed a "social agreement" aimed at creating a United Nations-administered humanitarian fund.
U.S. oil company Chevron Corp also received an expanded license on Saturday, allowing it to resume oil production in the South American country and bring Venezuelan crude to the United States.
These moves will allow Maduro's administration to argue that it is stabilizing the country whose economy has suffered from years of turmoil worsened by U.S. sanctions, analysts said.
Brazil's Lula courts UK, others to join fund to protect rainforest
BRASILIA - Aides to Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are in talks with Britain, Switzerland and France, seeking donations for an international fund to protect the Amazon rainforest, a bulwark against climate change, a Lula adviser said.
The British embassy said its government was studying the invitation to join the Amazon Fund, which already has about 3 billion reais ($563.71 million).
The fund, which was launched under Lula's first administration from 2003-2010, bankrolled conservation projects and counts Norway and Germany as its biggest donors.
Chile truckers end strike threatening mining supplies after agreement
SANTIAGO - A trucker strike in Chile that started last week ended on Tuesday after trucker groups signed an agreement with business organizations and the government to improve conditions.
Chile is the world's largest copper producer and second largest lithium producer, and the industry said last week the strike was affecting the normal flow of some supplies in the north of the country.
Truckers around the country were striking and setting up roadblocks due to concerns about rising crime and high fuel costs.
Mexico president seeks deal with U.S. after meeting on GMO corn
MEXICO CITY - Mexico is seeking a deal with the United States after talks with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Monday regarding Mexico's plan to ban genetically modified corn in 2024, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday.
The United States threatened legal action against the plan.
Honduras to complete talks with UN on anti-corruption mission, president says
TEGUCIGALPA - Honduras will soon complete negotiations with the United Nations that aim to create an international mission to fight corruption in the country, President Xiomara Castro said on Monday.
The government has been negotiating with U.N. officials since May on creating the mission, with experts saying widespread graft in Honduras has aggravated poverty, violence and increased migration to other countries.
Former Ecuador VP released from prison for second time
QUITO - Ecuador's former Vice President Jorge Glas on Monday was released from prison for the second time after a local judge approved alternative corrective measures in lieu of a custodial sentence for corruption charges.
Judge Emerson Curipallo from the province of Santo Domingo said Glas' rights had been violated by delays in resolving a request his defense put forward for him to receive prison benefits allowing him to serve out his sentence outside prison. (Compiled by Steven Grattan Editing by Bill Berkrot)
