The Group of Friends meets with Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, May 09, 2003 By: VenAmCham

Representatives of the United States, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Chile, and Mexico met with the opposition delegation behind closed doors at the Brazilian Embassy Thursday morning, but there has been no information on exactly what issues they discussed at that meeting, prior to the one they will hold with OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria and the government delegation.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel was holding a meeting with the Group of Friends mission at the Vice President's offices to present the government's draft electoral agreement ...  local media reports an invitation had been sent to President Hugo Chavez Frias, but his attendance had not been confirmed.

The Group of Friends mission is comprised of US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Curtis Strubble, Mexico's Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean Miguel Hakime, Portuguese Foreign Ministry Secretary General for Foreign Negotiations Joao Rocha Paris, Chilean Deputy Foreign Minister Christian Barros and Spain's Subsecretary General for European Community Countries Ernesto Zulueta. Brazil's Undersecretary General for Bilateral Policy, Gilberto Saboia is coordinating the mission.