The US undersecretary of state for political affairs, Thomas Shannon (L), shakes hands with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on October 31, 2016 at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, where he arrived to underscore US support for a newly begun political dialogue between the leftist government and the opposition. Shannon will meet with senior government officials, opposition leaders and representatives of civil society during the visit, which will run through Wednesday. Venezuelan government and opposition leaders on Sunday opened Vatican-mediated talks, agreeing to an agenda for further discussions aimed at defusing a deepening political impasse in the oil-rich South American nation. / AFP / Juan BARRETO (Photo credit should read JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images)
