Political transition talks in Venezuela will begin in person next week in Caracas, the government and the opposition announced Saturday -- the day when negotiations in the troubled South American country were expected to start. Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, who formerly served as Maduro's vice president, has been governing under Washington's watchful eye since then. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementDevastating earthquakes last month in the north of the country killed more than 5,500 people, compounding the country's woes. Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, Gonzalez Urrutia's exiled political ally, has pledged to return to Venezuela, but was not invited to the talks. Figuera thanked the US government, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in particular, for Washington's support for the transition.