Colombia To Seek
Resumption Of Ties With
Ecuador, Venezuela,
Nicaragua
Colombia will seek the
resumption of ties with
Ecuador, Venezuela and
Nicaragua, the country's
Foreign Minister
Fernando Araujo said
Saturday.
The recent diplomatic
dispute over its
incursion into Ecuadoran
territory to raid a
rebel camp has damaged
Colombia's relations
with these countries, he
said, noting that
Friday's Rio Group
Summit had created
favorable conditions for
normalizing ties.
Araujo said he had met
with his Nicaraguan
counterpart Samuel
Santos Lopez, and
Nicaragua is expected to
announce steps for the
re-establishment of ties
next week.
Neighboring countries'
joint fight against
terrorism should be a
significant part of
regional integration, he
said.
Ecuador broke off
diplomatic ties with
Colombia in protest
against a Colombian
military attack on a
camp of the country's
largest anti-government
group, the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC), across the
border with Ecuador last
Saturday.
The cross-border move,
which Ecuadoran
President Rafael Correa
called a violation of
his country's
territorial sovereignty,
had sparked regional
tension, with both
Ecuador and Venezuela
reinforcing troop
deployment along their
borders with Colombia.
Nicaragua, which has
maritime boundary
dispute with Colombia,
also broke off
diplomatic relations
with Colombia in support
of Ecuador.
Colombian President
Alvaro Uribe then
accused Correa and
Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez of having
links with FARC and
refused to rule out
similar across-border
action in the future.
The issue was finally
resolved at a Rio Group
summit that concluded
Friday in Santo Domingo,
capital of the Dominican
Republic, when the three
nations signed a
declaration ending the
diplomatic crisis,
following mediation by
the host country and
other participants.
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