Venezuela and the United States have agreed to talks on "sensitive issues" to improve relations after weeks of hostile exchanges, the foreign ministry said on Friday. The statement came after a meeting late Thursday between Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez and U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield, the envoy's first high-ranking talks with the government since he arrived six months ago. "We agreed there are sensitive issues on which we must work, little by little, to improve relations as much as possible," Rodriguez said in a statement. The minister said the two governments would also work on improving cooperation in areas such as energy, the fight against drugs and counter-terrorism. The United States is a mayor oil client for Venezuela, the world's No. 5 petroleum exporter, but relations between Washington and Caracas have chilled since left-wing President Hugo Chavez was elected in 1998. U.S. officials in Caracas say Brownfield had struggled to get meetings with top Venezuelan ministers since his arrival in Caracas in September. --More 2358 Local Time 2058 GMT
