Uribe “spat” at me, says Chavez

In the aftermath of being removed as mediator in Colombia’s civil conflict, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez criticized his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe. According to the New York Times:

The Venezuelan president, speaking on television, described Mr. Uribe’s attitude as the equivalent of a “brutal spitting in the face,” and called him a “liar.” Mr. Uribe, the Bush administration’s top ally in South America, responded by accusing Mr. Chavez of legitimizing terrorists and advancing ambitions of “assembling an empire.”

Chavez added that relations between the neighboring countries have been put “in the freezer” and that he has also lost trust in Uribe.

In the meantime, a videotape of a policeman held hostage by leftist rebels was released over the weekend. "Tell my family not to lose hope," said police captain Guillermo Solarzano in the video which police Chief Oscar Naranjo accused of being manipulated by the journalist who taped it.

Sources- The Latin Americanist, New York Times, AFP, Associated Press

Images- BBC News