United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging Venezuela to “listen carefully to the aspirations” of protesters and engage in dialogue with the opposition.  This is despite the opposition repeatedly boycotting opportunities to present their grievances to President Nicolas Maduro.

Protesters “must resort to peaceful means in delivering and conveying their messages,” said Ban before a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua, who suggested that US and other news media outlets had been painting a deliberately false picture.

“The propaganda carried out by some national and international media corporations conveys the wrong idea that there is widespread chaos in our country and indiscriminate repression against the people,” said Jaua, who added he believes the coverage is tilted to portray Venezuela as a country that violates human rights to “justify foreign intervention.”

Eighteen people have died in weeks of anti-government demonstrations.  Instead of giving the country a break, Carnival weekend was marked with more protests along with the festive costumes and music.  And jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, charged with stirring up the violence that killed some of his followers, is ignoring Ban's plea for dialogue and calling for more and more protests.