UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday welcomed the dialogue between Venezuelan government and members of the political opposition, calling on all parties to find common ground to overcome current challenges.

In a statement issued here by his spokesperson, Ban congratulated both the government and the opposition for their " public commitment" to the dialogue, which is being attended by a representative of the Holy See and by the Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador, representing the Union of South American Nations as witnesses.

The UN chief also expressed his best wishes for the success of the dialogue and joined His Holiness, Pope Francis, in his call to all actors to "engage in a dialogue aimed at finding common ground to overcome the current challenges faced by Venezuela."

Conciliatory talks between Venezuela's socialist government and the country's hardline conservative opposition began Thursday, aimed at ending two months of anti-government protests.

The protests, which broke out on Feb.12 in several cities, have left 39 people dead and hundreds of others injured, and led to the arrests of opposition leaders accused of inciting the violence.