Brazilian President says ousted Maduro should be tried in Venezuela, not abroad

SAO PAULO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should face trial in his own country, not overseas.

Maduro was captured from Caracas by U.S. forces earlier this year and taken to New York, where he is accused of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network with international drug cartels.

"What matters now, is to re-establish democracy in Venezuela, that's the most important thing. And I believe that if Maduro has to be tried, he has to be tried in his country, not abroad," Lula said in an interview with India Today TV during his visit to the country's AI summit.

Brazil cannot accept the capture of one head of state by another, he added, according to an English translation provided by the Indian broadcaster.

TALKS WITH TRUMP

Lula argued that Brazilian citizens accused of crimes and living in the United States should be tried in Brazil, saying he intends to present a written proposal on the issue to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Lula also said he wants to negotiate issues related to organized crime, drug trafficking and rare earth minerals with Trump, whom he has said he is likely to meet in Washington next month.

Brazil, which borders Venezuela to the south, is an influential diplomatic actor in South America.

Lula's relations with Trump have improved since last year, when Trump imposed tariffs on Brazilian goods over Brazil's treatment of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been jailed for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election.

-Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Isabel Teles; editing by Philippa Fletcher/Reuters