Venezuela sides agree to work on top court reform

Venezuela's interim government and opposition members agreed in US-backed talks to begin work on reforming the country's top court.

The deal, announced Friday after a second round of negotiations, is the first concrete step in broader judicial reform sought by the opposition and promised by interim leader Delcy Rodriguez.

The two sides appointed a seven-member committee to review the system for choosing candidates for the Supreme Court of Justice, according to a joint statement. They also agreed to continue reviewing legislative measures needed to transform the judicial system.

A third round of talks is scheduled for October.

The government delegation was led by National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez, the brother of Delcy Rodriguez. The opposition was represented by Dinorah Figuera, who led the opposition bloc that won a majority in Venezuela's last internationally recognized elections in 2015.

Exiled opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado has been excluded from the talks, though she has said she will not interfere and hopes to see concrete results.