[NYTr] Venezual-Colombia Relations Remain Frozen
 
Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:51:38 -0600 (CST)

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
Venezuelanalysis - Nov 29, 2007
 http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/2922

Relations Between Venezuela and Colombia Remain Frozen

by Chris Carlson - 

MC)rida, November 29, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com) - Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez announced Wednesday that his government would not have
relations with Colombia as long as Alvaro Uribe is the president of
Colombia. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) made a
similar statement on Tuesday, saying that there would be no
humanitarian exchange as long as Uribe is in power. Colombian Senator
Piedad Cordoba, meanwhile, defended her mediation efforts before the
Colombian Congress and called for a normalization of relations between
Colombia and Venezuela.

"As long President Uribe is the president of Colombia, I won't have any
type of relations with him or with the Colombian government," Chavez
declared at a campaign event in Venezuela on Wednesday.

"A president that is capable of blatantly lying, to disrespect another
president that he has called his friend, who he has called on for help.
Well, if that's how he is with me, I wonder how he is with the poor
Colombian people," he said.

The verbal confrontation between the two presidents reached its worst
point in years this week after Chavez decided to review his
government's relations with Colombia. The decision came after the
Colombian president called off mediation efforts led by President
Chavez between the Colombian guerrilla organization FARC and the
Colombian government. Uribe accused Chavez of violating Colombian
sovereignty and of giving "legitimacy to terrorism."

The Venezuelan president at first responded by saying that he respected
the sovereign decision of the Colombian president, but would not accept
the "lies" he used to justify his decision. Shortly thereafter, Chavez
recalled his ambassador in BogotC! to review the bilateral relations
with Colombia.

President Chavez lamented the end of the mediation efforts and assured
that they had just reached a breakthrough in the negotiations with the
FARC, explaining that FARC leader Manuel Marulanda "was going to turn
over the first group [of hostages] before the end of the year."

"The next step was to converse with Marulanda, which even Uribe
accepted as a condition for the liberation of the first group," said
Chavez. He went on to explain that the advances in the negotiations
"set off the alarms" in Washington, and caused Uribe to end the
mediation efforts.

The FARC guerrilla organization also released a statement on Wednesday,
labeling Uribe's decision to end negotiations as "miserable." The FARC
concurred with the statements of the Venezuela president, assuring that
Uribe is the biggest enemy to any humanitarian exchange.

"For there to be a humanitarian exchange and peace we need a new, truly
democratic government, founded on the sovereignty of the people, and
social justice," said the FARC statement.

The FARC agreed that the mediation efforts with Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez were the only hope for successful negotiations and sharply
criticized the Colombian president for suspending the efforts.

"Uribe's attitude upon suspending the humanitarian mediation of
President Hugo Chavez and Senator Piedad Cordoba is miserable, very
miserable, when it was the only hope to achieve an agreement in
Colombia," said the FARC. "We should all feel ashamed of the Uribe's
obnoxious affront against a friendly president."

Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba appeared before the Colombian Congress
on Tuesday to defend her efforts to mediate with the FARC. Cordoba was
asked to lead mediation efforts by President Uribe himself, but has now
been accused of treason and of collaborating with terrorists.

Cordoba explained her efforts before the Congress in an hour-long
presentation and emphasized the importance of the efforts by President
Chavez in making contact with the FARC. The Senator also expressed her
frustration at not being able to continue with the efforts, but assured
that she would speak to the Venezuela president about normalizing
relations with Uribe.

"I want to tell President Chavez that Colombia and Venezuela cannot
continue in conflict," she said before the Congress. "I'm going to use
my opportunity to speak with [Chavez] so that relations can be
normalized."

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