In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, the executive secretary of opposition umbrella group Unified Democratic Panel (MUD), José Guillermo Aveledo, expressed his disagreement with the statements issued by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an op-ed article published by the newspaper earlier this week entitled "Venezuela: A call for peace." Aveledo rejected Maduro's claims that the crisis facing Venezuela has been fabricated by the opposition and is the result of violent demonstrations.

Furthermore, the opposition leader rejected both alleged economic achievements and a reduction of poverty. "After the recent devaluation, the real value of the minimum wage in Venezuela plummeted to $63 a month, which corresponds to the average poverty line in developing countries as determined by the World Bank (...) all this in the midst of an oil bonanza," Aveledo remarked.

As to Maduro's intentions to engage in dialogue, the MUD's executive secretary said, "His government incarcerated the opposition leader Leopoldo López, sentenced the opposition mayor Enzo Scarano to prison and detained Mayor Daniel Ceballos. (Opposition Deputy) María Corina Machado was stripped of her seat in the National Assembly."

Referring to the demonstrations taking place in Venezuela since February, Aveledo stated that "the government's brutal response has resulted in the deaths of at least 39 people, with more than 2,000 detained and 50 reports of torture, according to Amnesty International."

Finally, the opposition leader remarked out the dissent's commitment to dialogue and said, "We regard the mediation offered by the Vatican through the apostolic nuncio as a viable option, and have proposed an agenda for that effort."