Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro called for dialogue with opposition leader Juan Guaido Friday on the country's independence day.

Speaking to a gathering of top military officials, Maduro reiterated his support for a negotiation process mediated by Norway between his socialist government and Guaido who argues Maduro's 2018 re-election was a fraud.

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"There is room for all of us within Venezuela," Maduro said in a speech in Caracas, before calling for military exercises on July 24 to defend the South American country's "seas, rivers and borders." "We must all give up something in order to reach an agreement," he said.

Venezuela was plunged into a deep political crisis in January when Guaido invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency, calling Maduro a usurper. He has been recognized as the rightful head of state by dozens of countries, including the United States and most South American neighbors.

Maduro remains in control of state functions and the armed forces. He calls Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.

Guaido held a separate Independence Day event, calling on supporters to march toward the headquarters of the military counterintelligence directorate, or DGCIM, where navy captain Rafael Acosta died last month after opposition leaders and family members said he was tortured in custody.

This week, the United Nations human rights chief, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, published an appraisal of the human rights situation in Venezuela which accuses Maduro's security forces of committing a series of "gross violations" against Venezuelan dissenters.

Maduro's government rejected the "distorted" report in an 11-page rebuttal that accused Bachelet of offering "a selective and openly biased vision" of human rights in Venezuela. It said: "The imprecisions, mistakes, decontextualizations and false claims are innumerable."

A new round of Norway-mediated talks expected for this week was called off after Acosta's death. Opposition leaders frequently argue that Maduro's government seeks to use dialogue to distract from its continued human rights violations.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro takes part in a military parade to celebrate the 208th anniversary of Venezuela's declaration of independence in Caracas, Venezuela, July 5, 2019. /Reuters Photo)