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.
Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss, the stepsister of teenage diarist Anne Frank and a tireless educator about the horrors of the Holocaust, has died. She was 96. The Anne Frank Trust UK, of which Schloss was honorary president, said she died on Saturday in London, where she lived. Britain’s King Charles III said he was “privileged and proud” to have known Schloss, who cofounded the charitable trust to help young people challenge prejudice. “The horrors that she endured as a young woman are impossible to comprehend and yet she devoted the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding
Tens of thousands of Filipino Catholics yesterday twirled white cloths and chanted “Viva, viva,” as a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ was paraded through the streets of Manila in the nation’s biggest annual religious event. The day-long procession began before dawn, with barefoot volunteers pulling the heavy carriage through narrow streets where the devout waited in hopes of touching the icon, believed to hold miraculous powers. Thousands of police were deployed to manage crowds that officials believe could number in the millions by the time the statue reaches its home in central Manila’s Quiapo church around midnight. More than 800 people had sought
‘DISRESPECTFUL’: Katie Miller, the wife of Trump’s most influential adviser, drew ire by posting an image of Greenland in the colors of the US flag, captioning it ‘SOON’ US President Donald Trump on Sunday doubled down on his claim that Greenland should become part of the US, despite calls by the Danish prime minister to stop “threatening” the territory. Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears for Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex, given its strategic location in the arctic. While aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump reiterated the goal. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said in response to a reporter’s question. “We’ll worry about Greenland in
PERILOUS JOURNEY: Over just a matter of days last month, about 1,600 Afghans who were at risk of perishing due to the cold weather were rescued in the mountains Habibullah set off from his home in western Afghanistan determined to find work in Iran, only for the 15-year-old to freeze to death while walking across the mountainous frontier. “He was forced to go, to bring food for the family,” his mother, Mah Jan, said at her mud home in Ghunjan village. “We have no food to eat, we have no clothes to wear. The house in which I live has no electricity, no water. I have no proper window, nothing to burn for heating,” she added, clutching a photograph of her son. Habibullah was one of at least 18 migrants who died
RSS