Earlier today, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez ordered the country’s ambassador to Colombia to return to Caracas. According to a communiqué by Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry (as reported by Reuters): "The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, due to recent events and in order to carry out an exhaustive evaluation of bilateral relations, has recalled its ambassador from Bogota," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
relations between the neighboring countries has deteriorated since Colombian leader Alvaro Uribe removed Chavez from serving as a mediator for hostage talks with the FARC guerilla group. Over the weekend, Chavez said that Uribe’s gesture was akin to being “spit” upon and added that political relations between both states were put “in the freezer.”
Meanwhile, Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba- who assisted Chavez in his negotiations- was offered political asylum in France according to the local media. Cordoba was set to appear before a session of the Colombian Congress today after pro-Uribe legislators suspect her of wrongdoing during the negotiations.
Sources (English)- Bloomberg, Reuters, The Latin Americanist, Vheadline.com
Sources (Spanish)- El Tiempo
Image- Al Jazeera
No comments:
Post a Comment