Colombian president postpones
visit to Venezuela
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe
has postponed his planned
meeting with Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez in Caracas
from Thursday to Friday, a top
Venezuelan official said
Thursday.
"Colombian Foreign Ministry
informed us that President Uribe
had to suspend his trip to
Caracas due to a serious food
poisoning, which required
medical assistance and prevented
him from traveling," said
Venezuelan Communication
Minister Andres Izarra.
"The very important meeting is
postponed to Friday noon, when
both leaders will meet to
address pending issues they were
scheduled to discuss," Izarra
told the press.
Izarra added that Uribe had
intended to "come to Caracas
today" to meet with Chavez and
put an end to the diplomatic
crisis between the two
countries, triggered by the
disputed capture in Caracas of
Colombian rebel leader Rodrigo
Granda.
Uribe had planned to meet Chavez
on Thursday to analyze the
impact of the so-called "Granda
case," after Chavez accused
Bogota of violating Venezuela's
sovereignty by kidnapping the
Colombian rebel chief in its
territory.
On Dec. 13, Granda, known as the
"foreign minister" of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC), was kidnapped
in Caracas by Venezuelan police
agents, presumably bribed by
Colombian agents.
The abduction sparked the worst
dispute in years between the two
Andean neighbors. Chavez last
month recalled his ambassador to
Bogota in protest and froze
bilateral projects.
The dispute was about to lead to
the breaking of bilateral trade
relations, although contacts at
foreign ministerial level were
maintained. The crisis was
finally settled with the
mediation of other countries.
Chavez welcomed his Colombian
counterpart's planned visit,
saying he also hopes to end the
bilateral crisis. "Today we are
going to receive the president
of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, and
we'll warmly welcome him," he
said.
Venezuela to look east for
friends: official
Venezuela is going to forge
closer relations with countries
particularly in Asia in view of
the multipolarization of the
world, said Vice Foreign
Minister WilliamIzarra on
Thursday.
He highlighted Asian countries'
interest in investing in his
country, citing agreements
signed with Iran, China, and
soon India,the ABN news agency
said.
Venezuela aims to strengthen
friendship as well as commercial
and cultural links with the
three nations since a large
share of Venezuela's foreign
currency comes from Asia and the
Middle East, he was quoted as
telling diplomats from Asia, the
Middle East and Oceania.
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Colombian paramilitary group
names new chief
The
right-wing United Self-Defense
Forces of Colombia (AUC) has
appointed Ramon Isaza as its new
chief to replace Salvatore
Mancuso, it is reported
Thursday.
Isaza, the former leader of AUC
in the central Magdalena Medio
region, was picked at an AUC
meeting on Tuesday in Santa Fe
de Ralito, a northwestern city
harboring the demobilized
paramilitaries, an AUC official
was quoted by the press as
saying.
The 20,000-strong AUC, founded
23 years ago to fight left-wing
guerrillas, is engaged in peace
negotiations with the
government.
The dialogue since December 2002
was expected to lead to the
demobilization of all the
paramilitaries this year.
However, the goal seems unlikely
to be materialized as there are
still legal barriers barring the
successful return of former
combatants to the civil society.
The AUC is believed to have
engaged in massacres,
assassinations, kidnappings and
torture, among other crimes.
Colombia has been locked in a
four-decade civil war, the
longest in Latin America, in
which government forces, leftist
guerrillas and far-right
paramilitaries fight one
another. The conflicts kill more
than 3,000 people every year.
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