Venezuela’s interim government says it is well advanced in identifying state assets to offer to the private sector or return to former owners, a step that could begin unwinding nationalizations ordered under Hugo Chavez. The plan covers non-essential state holdings, with a commission set up in April assessing assets across energy, power and mining, and the government says 44 energy contracts are under negotiation under a new oil law approved in January. More than a dozen international arbitration claims stemming from the earlier nationalizations remain largely unsettled, so any return of assets is likely to be closely watched by former owners and investors. In the same address, the interim president pledged that law enforcement would not arrest people without a warrant and vowed to defend peaceful protest, weeks after the country’s first nationwide opposition protest in nearly two years. The package signals an effort to attract private investment and ease political tension, though officials gave few details on how the asset process will actually work.

Full report: Venezuela to offer state assets to private sector, President Rodriguez says.