Did Al Gore give Colombia’s president the cold shoulder?

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe claimed that he was snubbed by ex-U.S. Vice President Al Gore from appearing at an environmental conference in Miami. According to Uribe (image), Gore’s office withdrew from a panel they were supposed to appear on due to mounting accusations over Uribe’s ties with right-wing paramilitary groups. So far, Gore’s press reps have yet to respond to Uribe.

In the meantime, Uribe has not directly replied to accusations made a few days ago by opposition Senator Gustavo Petro. In a speech during a session of Congress, Petro claimed that senior paramilitary leaders worked closely with members of the Uribe’s family and blamed Uribe for mishandling a legal vigilante program when he was governor of Antioquia province.

Global Voices Online gives the reactions of Colombian bloggers to Petro's speech.

Links- Reuters AlertNet, CBS News, Bloomberg, Guardian UK, Global Voices Online

Image- Al Jazeera