Venezuela Ends Fuel Agreement With Colombia
Caracas - Venezuela will
not renew an agreement to provide fuel to
Colombia, Venezuela's Energy and Petroleum
Minister, Rafael Ramirez, announced on
Wednesday.
The one-year agreement, under which Caracas
provided fuel to Bogota on preferential
terms, expired on Tuesday, and "there is no
reason to renew it," Ramirez told press
after a meeting with the Venezuela United
Socialist Party in Tachira, a western
Venezuela state bordering Colombia.
He said Venezuelan authorities were
implementing rigorous security measures to
prevent fuel contraband to Colombia,
including deploying 120 special prosecution
investigators and military officials.
The decision not to renew the agreement is
part of a freeze on diplomatic and trade
ties with Colombia ordered by Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez on July 28. Despite
the freeze, Venezuela's ambassador to
Bogota, Gustavo Marquez, who was withdrawn
by Chavezas part of the freeze, returned to
his position on Aug. 9.
Chavez ordered the freeze after Colombia's
decision to allow U.S. military bases in
Colombia and the seizure of Venezuelan
weapons at a Colombian guerilla base.
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