Page One Daily News
VENEZUELA - A Far Off Reunion

* VENEZUELA

A Far Off Reunion
Venezuela does not appear interested in reestablishing relations with Colombia at the moment

Venezuela's trouble with Dominican leader Leonel Fernandez's efforts to overcome the differences between presidents Alvaro Uribe and Hugo Chavez shows that the normalization of relations between the two countries may be far off. The Dominican government lamented Venezuela's dissatisfaction with Fernandez's work and underscored its "unconditional determination" to work toward unity. On Mon., the Venezuelan government sent a letter of protest regarding Fernandez's mediation efforts without prior consultation, an annonymous Venezuelan source revealed to the AFP. Fernandez was named mediator between both nations in Feb. after a harsh verbal confrontation between Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe during the Rio Group summit in Cancun, Mexico. Caracas froze diplomatic relations with Bogota in July 2009 after the Colombian government's decision to allow the U.S. to use seven military bases to fight drug-trafficking.
09-Mar-2010 06:03pm