Page 12 - AT

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 17 sepTember 2019
Split emerges in Venezuela opposition over talks with gov't

By SCOTT SMITH told The Associated Press,
Associated Press noting that those attempts
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) failed to reach solutions.
— A minority group of op- Guaidó a day earlier said
position parties in Venezue- that negotiations with the
la agreed Monday to enter government brokered by
negotiations with President Norway had been exhaust-
Nicolas Maduro's govern- ed, saying Maduro and his
ment without the participa- allies "have blocked a po-
tion of U.S.-backed opposi- litical solution" to the crisis
tion leader Juan Guaidó, by "refusing to discuss and
eroding his efforts to hold agree on a sensible propos-
together a coalition to con- al." Until recently, the talks
front the socialist adminis- held on the Caribbean is-
tration. land of Barbados had been
The agreement was signed seen as the best chance at
by representatives of sever- resolving Venezuela's crisis.
al opposition parties along- Leaders in Oslo, however,
side Maduro's top aides in said they left open the pos-
a nationally televised event sibility of talks.
attended by foreign diplo- Venezuela's National Assembly President and self proclaimed interim President Juan Guaido Despite Guaidó's brave
mats. speaks during a rally at the Municipality of El Hatillo, Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Sept 14, 2019. face, some in the opposi-
It marks the first significant Associated Press tion acknowledged that
split in the anti-Maduro by absorbing the attention
camp since Guaidó, as larger anti-Maduro parties. forming Venezuela's elec- They wield far less power the new dialogue attempt
head of the opposition- He didn't directly mention toral board as well as find- than parties like Guaidó's would complicate efforts
controlled congress, de- Guaidó. ing a solution to the im- Popular Will, experts said. both inside and outside
clared himself interim Zambrano said he and the passe caused by the cre- Guaidó appeared at a Venezuela to secure Mad-
president in January, citing others seek to recover time ation of a pro-government separate event Monday, uro's removal.
what was seen as Maduro's lost due to the "ambition constitutional assembly to saying he considered the Geoff Ramsey, a research-
fraudulent re-election last of some and the mistakes rival the opposition-con- announcement of sideline er at the Washington Office
year. Guaidó quickly drew of us all." He urged support trolled congress. negotiations with the mi- on Latin America think tank,
recognition from the U.S. from the international com- At least four opposition nority opposition parties a said this division will compli-
and more than 50 nations. munity. leaders appeared on state "maneuver" that Maduro's cate negotiations such as
Lawmaker Timoteo Zam- "We ask the governments TV to sign the agreement government has employed those in Barbados. Maduro
brano, an opposition law- of the region and the world launching the negotiations, before to split the opposi- will be able to claim he's
maker who signed the to listen, value and support though they represent less tion. made meaningful conces-
agreement, was critical this path," Zambrano said. than one-tenth of seats "We already know what the sions, while doing the bare
of the efforts led by the The talks will focus on re- in the National Assembly. conclusion was," Guaidó minimum, Ramsey said.q

Mexico celebrates its independence with iconic chile dish

By MARÍA TERESA HERNÁN- To do that, his staff of 14 the dish displayed the col-
DEZ chefs work eight days per ors of Iturbide's army ban-
Associated Press month to prepare a reci- ner and the soon-to-be
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The pe that dates to the 19th Mexican flag: green, white
first bite of chiles en noga- century and involves, in his and red.
da, a traditional Mexican case, 30 ingredients. It also won the favor of Itur-
dish eaten around the Cuatepotzo and chiles en bide, who asked that he
country's independence nogada were born in the be served the dish again in
celebrations, sends a shiv- same place: the central Mexico City.
er. The salty skin of the po- state of Puebla. Nearly 200 years later, chil-
blano chile crunches, the Versions of the dish's origin es en nogada are now a
pomegranate seeds that vary, but Ricardo Muñoz favorite of many.
dot it explode between Zurita — another Mexican According to Muñoz Zurita,
your teeth and the flavors chef who is an expert in lo- it's almost "mythical" be-
combine to dance in the cal cuisine — says that they cause it's so ephemeral:
mouth. Almost instantly, In this Sept. 13, 2019 photo, a cook assembles chiles en nogada were prepared for the first its key ingredients are only
the creamy walnut sauce for clients at Testal restaurant in central Mexico City. time on Aug. 28, 1821. available three months of
permeates the meat filling, Associated Press Gen. Agustín de Iturbide the year, so it isn't prepared
and just when your palate had just signed a treaty outside of the season.
asks, "What is this delicious- are willing to sharpen their zo when one speaks about giving Mexico its indepen- Some Mexicans spurn the
ness?" the spices kick in and knives and dedicate two the balance struck by the dence from Spain and was dish because they find the
your senses ask for more. days each year to stuffing sweet and salty food. on his way to the capital combination of flavors dis-
This sensory cocktail isn't the relatively unspicy chiles. The dish is traditionally eat- when he stopped in Pueb- agreeable, but in general,
made in just any kitchen. In the kitchen of Arango, a en from July through Sep- la, where nuns served him it sets off a frenzy evident
And it can take hours to Mexico City restaurant that tember, and Cuatepotzo chiles en nogada to honor on social media, with im-
prepare — meaning only opened last year, a smile estimates he serves up to him and celebrate the end ages of chiles en nogada
some chefs and true fans spreads across the face of 100 plates each week dur- of colonization. For that commonly shared before
of the complicated recipe chef Alejandro Cuatepot- ing the season. reason, Muñoz Zurita says, they're devoured.q