Protests subside, calm returns to Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela — Calm returned to the streets Thursday after three days of demonstrations touched off by President Hugo Chávez's refusal to renew the broadcast license of a Caracas television station.

The government halted broadcasts by Radio Caracas Television on Sunday. Since then, police have repeatedly clashed with angry crowds.

In parts of Caracas on Thursday, Venezuelans walked to work along sidewalks littered with debris from the protests.

The Carter Center called for dialogue between Chávez and the protesters. The Atlanta-based organization, founded by former president Jimmy Carter, expressed concern about the potential for escalating violence.

"Healthy democracies require spaces for political dialogue and debate to allow divisions about the future direction of the country to be addressed in peaceful ways," the Carter Center said in a statement.

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