Montag
03-06-2008, 03:31 PM
Latin American leftist trio puts squeeze on Colombia
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jds93G7bHlcyzHnOd-QA4nagp3rQ
excerpt:
CARACAS (AFP) — Venezuela and its leftist allies Ecuador and Nicaragua closed ranks against Colombia Thursday, despite US-led calls for a diplomatic solution to prevent a crisis from spiraling into armed conflict.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega joined Ecuadoran counterpart Rafael Correa and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez in breaking diplomatic relations with Colombia over Bogota's air raid against a FARC guerrilla camp inside Ecuador.
After Saturday's attack, Ecuador and Venezuela reinforced their borders with Colombia while Chavez warned Bogota against repeating a similar incursion in his country. The FARC have been reported to hide in Venezuela and Ecuador.
Correa has toured the region seeking support, visiting Chavez on Wednesday and winning Ortega's backing in his latest stop Thursday.
"We are breaking with the terrorist policy being practiced by the government of (Colombian President) Alvaro Uribe," Ortega said at a news conference alongside his Correa in Managua.
Correa urged the Rio Group, an organization of 19 Latin American democracies meeting in Santo Domingo Thursday and Friday, to "clearly condemn" Colombia and "force (Uribe's) government to never dare attack any other country under any pretext."
He spoke a day after a declaration issued by the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS) stating that Colombia had violated his country's sovereignty, although the resolution fell short of formally condemning Bogota.
The United States has backed Colombia, its staunchest ally in Latin America, since the crisis began and questioned Venezuela's involvement in the dispute.
Venezuela has ordered 10 battallions -- around 6,000 men -- to the border with Colombia, along with tanks and armored vehicles. Ecuador has similarly deployed thousands of troops to its Colombian frontier.
"The United States stands strongly for the diplomatic resolution of the recent circumstances," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a press conference in Brussels after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
"Everyone needs to be vigilant about the use of border regions by terrorist organizations like the FARC," she said. "It's extremely important they not be able to continue their efforts."
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jds93G7bHlcyzHnOd-QA4nagp3rQ
excerpt:
CARACAS (AFP) — Venezuela and its leftist allies Ecuador and Nicaragua closed ranks against Colombia Thursday, despite US-led calls for a diplomatic solution to prevent a crisis from spiraling into armed conflict.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega joined Ecuadoran counterpart Rafael Correa and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez in breaking diplomatic relations with Colombia over Bogota's air raid against a FARC guerrilla camp inside Ecuador.
After Saturday's attack, Ecuador and Venezuela reinforced their borders with Colombia while Chavez warned Bogota against repeating a similar incursion in his country. The FARC have been reported to hide in Venezuela and Ecuador.
Correa has toured the region seeking support, visiting Chavez on Wednesday and winning Ortega's backing in his latest stop Thursday.
"We are breaking with the terrorist policy being practiced by the government of (Colombian President) Alvaro Uribe," Ortega said at a news conference alongside his Correa in Managua.
Correa urged the Rio Group, an organization of 19 Latin American democracies meeting in Santo Domingo Thursday and Friday, to "clearly condemn" Colombia and "force (Uribe's) government to never dare attack any other country under any pretext."
He spoke a day after a declaration issued by the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS) stating that Colombia had violated his country's sovereignty, although the resolution fell short of formally condemning Bogota.
The United States has backed Colombia, its staunchest ally in Latin America, since the crisis began and questioned Venezuela's involvement in the dispute.
Venezuela has ordered 10 battallions -- around 6,000 men -- to the border with Colombia, along with tanks and armored vehicles. Ecuador has similarly deployed thousands of troops to its Colombian frontier.
"The United States stands strongly for the diplomatic resolution of the recent circumstances," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a press conference in Brussels after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
"Everyone needs to be vigilant about the use of border regions by terrorist organizations like the FARC," she said. "It's extremely important they not be able to continue their efforts."