Chavez to Make Brief and
Important Visit to
Bogota
Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez will make a
brief visit to the
Colombian capital next
Friday, considered here
a transcendental one,
for the future of a
humanitarian agreement
that allows an exchange
of prisoners between the
Colombian government and
the guerrillas.
Chavez should arrive at
10:00 hours at the
military airport of
Catam, where he will be
received by Colombian
Foreign Affairs Minister
Fernando Araujo, who
will accompany him to
the presidential
residence of Hato
Grande, where Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe
will wait for him.
Chavez will take part in
a ceremony with military
honors, to go to a
bilateral meeting at the
dining room, for two
hours.
After this meeting, both
Presidents will give a
press release, and then
President Alvaro Uribe
will offer a private
lunch to Chavez, who
will return to the
airport of Catam to go
back to Venezuela at
15:00 hours local time.
Both Uribe and Foreign
Minister Araujo have
stated the meeting will
include bilateral
topics, but the greatest
expectation lies on the
humanitarian agreement.
Two weeks ago, Chavez
offered himself to be a
mediator between the
Colombian government and
the guerrillas for a
prisoner exchange, by
request of Colombian
Liberal Senator Piedad
Cordoba.
That is why Chavez met
with relatives of the
prisoners kept by the
Colombia Revolutionary
Armed Forces (FARC) and
offered the use of the
Venezuelan national
territory to facilitate
the contacts between the
representatives of the
Colombian government and
the guerrilla groups.
Chavez´ step is now
considered the last
alternative to reach
some progress for peace
in Colombia, according
to followers of the
humanitarian agreement. |
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