U.S. Official Met with Maduro in Venezuela

A top U.S. diplomat met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this week in Caracas, Washington announced, after tensions flared between the two governments in recent weeks.

The meeting with U.S. State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon occurred Wednesday, an agency spokesman said, the same day the advisor met with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez.

"It was a productive exchange and the United States welcomed the opportunity for direct dialogue," spokesman Jeff Rathke said, referring to the talks with Maduro.

He said the U.S. raised "human rights and democracy concerns."

Tensions have run high between the two nations after the U.S. imposed a round of sanctions against Venezuelan leaders.

Maduro says he has a petition with 13.4 million Venezuelan signatures calling for an end to the sanctions and Rodriguez said she pressed Shannon on the sanctions during their meeting.

Washington and Caracas have toned down their rhetoric in recent days, with Maduro saying he is open to dialogue, and Obama saying Venezuela was not a "threat," despite the sanctions.

Rathke said Caracas invited a Washington official to Venezuela for talks with Maduro on the eve of the Summit of the Americas in Panama attended by Maduro and U.S. President Barack Obama. 

The U.S. is "open to direct engagement" with Venezuelan officials, Rathke said.

"We believe it's in the interest of both countries to work together where we can, while we recognize that we will continue to have differences," he added.