|
Venezuela, Colombia to jointly
contain border violence
Venezuelan Defense Minister Raul
Isaias and his Colombian
counterpart Juan Manuel Santos
met on Friday to discuss
measures aimed at containing the
violence in their shared border.
The first defense ministers'
meeting, which was held in
CirculoMilitar de San Cristobal
in Venezuela's western Tachira
state, is expected to reach an
agreement on information
exchange on national and
regional problems which affect
the border security.
Both ministers will discuss
problems such as kidnapping,
gasoline smuggling, drug-traffiking
and the so-called "vacunas,"
money guerrillas extort from
stockbreeders, farmers and
traders.
They will also deal with issues
like sabotage, capital
legitimization, extortion,
demobilization of irregular
groups and arms smuggling,
Venezuelan Interior and Justice
Minister Jesse Chacon, army
generals and members from the
Scientific, Penal and
Criminalistic Corps, the Drug
Enforcement Office and the
Direction of Intelligence and
Prevention also attended the
meeting.
On the Colombian side, apart
from Defense Minister Santos,
participants include Andres
Pelate, head of the
Administrative Department of
Security (DAS) and Gen. Jorge
Daniel Castro Castro, head of
the Colombian National Police.
|
|
