Exclusive - U.S., Venezuela launch quiet diplomacy to ease acrimony

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro shows his ballot after his vote in a polling center in Caracas, June 28, 2015. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Venezuela have embarked on their most extensive dialogue in years in an attempt to improve their acrimonious relations, according to a senior U.S. administration official.

The quiet diplomacy, the extent of which has not been previously reported, is a sign that U.S. detente with Communist Cuba may be helping to reshape another troubled Latin American relationship. The official, who has direct knowledge of the high-level talks, cautioned that the process is at an early stage.