Spain to support peace process in Colombia
The Spanish government is prepared to support Colombia "as much as necessary" to facilitate the peace dialogue with the guerrillas and the paramilitaries, said Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos on Monday.

Moratinos made the remarks after meeting with his Colombian counterpart Carolina Barco, who made the first layover of her European tour in Madrid.

Moratinos said Spanish assistance will be available by the time the Colombian government of President Alvaro Uribe asks for it and "the moment when Spain could be useful."

Barco thanked for the aid provided by Madrid, as well as for the support provided by Mexico and France, who participate in peace process with the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), respectively.

She said that for Colombia the international presence "is of utmost importance" for the peace process carried out by the Colombian government with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).

That issue will be discussed Tuesday with European Union (EU) Foreign Policy and Common Security Commissioner Javier Solana, she added.
 

Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization to meet in Brazil
Foreign ministers from the member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) will meet on Sept. 14 in the Brazilian city of Manaus to discuss the group's Strategic Plan 2004-2012, local press said Monday.

The meeting will be the first since the ACTO Permanent Secretariat was created in Brasilia 20 months ago.

The ACTO groups Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela. Former Ecuadorian President Rosalia Arteaga is heading the Secretariat.

According to the group's Public Relations Office, the StrategicPlan will "respond to the challenges that the Amazon region faces in its sustainable development."

The plan will deal with issues, such as conservation and sustainable use of renewable natural resources, administration of knowledge and technology exchange, regional integration and competitiveness, and institutional strengthening.

This meeting will be a token of political support for the Amazon region's integration, and member countries will use the meeting to coordinate their public policies.

The ministers will also seek to establish financing mechanisms for the Permanent Secretariat.

Venezuela looks for oil partners in Iran, India and South America
After defeating the internal opposition in August recall vote, President Hugo Chavez opened the gates of country"s oil market - world"s fifth - to foreign investors. The two Asian nations started ahead.

Having survived a recall attempt last month by winning 58 percent of the vote in a nationwide referendum, Venezuela"s President Hugo Chavez says he plans to deepen "the revolutionary process." According to reports from Caracas, Chavez is ready to open the strategic oil market -world"s fifth- to foreign companies and state owned enterprises from South America.

Last week, Venezuela has offered Indian Oil Videsh Limited (OVL) a share in five oil fields for exploration and production. This is the first time it has offered oil concessions to a foreign company, outside the international tendering procedure.

Venezuela has emerged as India"s newest oil supplier. Between the Athabasca sands and Venezuelan Orinoco basin, there is more recoverable oil (with current technology) than all of the Middle East. Venezuela has emerged as India"s newest oil supplier. Between the Athabasca sands and Venezuelan Orinoco basin, there is more recoverable oil (with current technology) than all of the Middle East.

At the same time, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Jesus Arnold Perez were discussing in a meeting in Teheran ways of bolstering oil cooperation between the two countries.

A report released by the Public Relations Department of Iran"s Oil Ministry said that in the meeting, Zanganeh congratulated Perez on the victory of President Hugo Chavez in the recent Venezuelan referendum and referred to Venezuela as a friendly country in view of following policies quite similar to those of Iran, as a member of OPEC.

"Iran has offered any possible assistance to Venezuela as a friendly country under the most difficult situations," he added. Turning to the growing trend of the oil industry, he announced Iran"s readiness for bolstering of bilateral relations in various economic, industrial and technological fields, in particular in oil, gas and petrochemical sectors.

Chavez, who sees regional support to his "democratic revolution" decisive, fuels an ambitious power integration programme, which comprises state owned energy corporations from Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina -and Mexico, eventually- as a way to secure independent energy supplying in Latin America.

Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela signed recently the "energy chart", which calls for the regional integration of the power system. Mexico said it would consider adhering the initiative, as well as Bolivia, Uruguay and Chile.

With the above in mind, it becomes clear that Venezuela sees in its vast and strategic oil resources, a key instrument to develop a more active diplomacy within the third world.

Colombia seeks arrest of soldiers
Colombia's vice-president is said to have linked the union leaders with the ELN
The Colombian authorities have ordered the arrest of three soldiers and a civilian in connection with the deaths of three trade union leaders.

They were killed last month during an army operation against the left-wing ELN guerrilla movement in the eastern province of Arauca.

Colombia's vice-president has said the union officials were ELN members.

However human rights campaigners and trade unions say there is no evidence of a link with the guerrillas.

The ELN is one of Colombia's two main rebel groups, which have waged a 40-year conflict against the Colombian state.

The group periodically kidnaps foreign employees of large corporations and holds them for large ransom payments.

It has conducted frequent assaults on oil infrastructure and inflicted major damage on pipelines, and often employs extortion and bombings against US and other foreign businesses.