The presidents of Venezuela and Colombia said on Tuesday they had resolved a diplomatic dispute spurred by the capture of a prominent Colombian rebel in Venezuela and would work together to improve border security by sharing intelligence.
After emerging from a meeting that lasted over four hours, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said his country would do everything possible to prevent Colombian rebels from seeking refuge in Venezuelan territory.
"We decided to turn the page, to clear things up," Chavez said.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said he and Chavez "have a commitment" to increasing security along their common border. "This implies cooperating so sovereignty is not affected," Uribe said.
Chavez said that commercial agreements -- including the construction of a gas pipeline connecting the two nations -- that had been frozen for weeks would be "reactivated."
Chavez, a fervent nationalist, had claimed that the capture of Colombian rebel Rodrigo Granda by bountyhunters off the streets of Caracas violated Venezuela's sovereignty. Uribe had expressed concerns that Colombian guerrillas have sought refuge in Venezuelan territory and that both nations should cooperate in denying them safe haven.
Both leaders have expressed concern about the relative ease with which rebels can come across their 2,200km border.
Both Chavez and Uribe acknowledged that Cuban President Fidel Castro played a role in lowering tension, and they also thanked the leaders of Peru and Brazil.
Chavez has accused the US of having a hand in Granda's capture to provoke Venezuela, an accusation the US State Department has denied. US officials, meanwhile, have said Venezuela should investigate whether other Colombian rebels are hiding within its borders.
Sitting next to Uribe at a news conference following their talks, Chavez rejected concerns expressed by Washington over the possibility that 100,000 assault rifles Venezuela plans to purchase from Russia could fall into the hands of Colombian rebel groups.
"We want to replace arms. Nobody should be worried about that," said Chavez, an outspoken critic of the US' foreign policy.
"If we were buying from them, they wouldn't be so worried because they love to sell arms," Chavez said.
PRECARIOUS RELATIONS: Commentators in Saudi Arabia accuse the UAE of growing too bold, backing forces at odds with Saudi interests in various conflicts A Saudi Arabian media campaign targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deepened the Gulf’s worst row in years, stoking fears of a damaging fall-out in the financial heart of the Middle East. Fiery accusations of rights abuses and betrayal have circulated for weeks in state-run and social media after a brief conflict in Yemen, where Saudi airstrikes quelled an offensive by UAE-backed separatists. The United Arab Emirates is “investing in chaos and supporting secessionists” from Libya to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya TV charged in a report this week. Such invective has been unheard of
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border. Relations between the US and its northern neighbor have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a “rupture” in the US-led global order. During a visit to Beijing earlier this month, Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China that resulted in a “preliminary, but landmark trade agreement” to reduce tariffs — but
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) purge of his most senior general is driven by his effort to both secure “total control” of his military and root out corruption, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said told Bloomberg Television yesterday. The probe into Zhang Youxia (張又俠), Xi’s second-in-command, announced over the weekend, is a “major development,” Perdue said, citing the family connections the vice chair of China’s apex military commission has with Xi. Chinese authorities said Zhang was being investigated for suspected serious discipline and law violations, without disclosing further details. “I take him at his word that there’s a corruption effort under
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS