Capriles pledges support for peace talks in Colombia and distance from Iran
Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles pledged to help Colombia in its peace talks with rebels and distance himself from Iran should he defeat President Hugo Chávez in an increasingly tight race ahead of Sunday's election.
The government of neighbouring Colombia is due to start talks with FARC guerrillas this month in Oslo to try to end five decades of conflict. Chavez’s government, accused by Bogotá of backing the rebels in the past, supports the talks.
That has led to speculation that an opposition victory in Venezuela on Oct. 7 could damage prospects for peace in Colombia. But Capriles denied that was the case.
“A government led by us would accelerate the Colombia peace process. A progressive government in Venezuela will stop being a refuge for rebels, for armed groups,” he told a news conference in Caracas on Monday.
“We have a government that is an accomplice of the Colombian guerrillas. That will change.”
Capriles, who has mounted the strongest electoral challenge Chávez has faced during his 14 years in power, recently met Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in Bogotá.
The opposition candidate also said that if he won he would demand the freedom of some 30 Venezuelans kidnapped in Colombia, and end any direct contacts with the rebels so as to not confuse the negotiations.
Among the half-a-dozen or so major local pollsters, most put Chávez ahead. But Capriles has been creeping up thanks to an energetic campaign, and two surveys give him a slight edge.
The 40-year-old governor, who would be Venezuela's youngest president, also said he would steer foreign relations away from Chávez's alliances with nations such as Iran and Belarus that the West views with suspicion.
“What do we have in common with Iran apart from producing oil? Or Belarus?” Capriles asked. ”Isn't its president a dictator? You tell me! We honoured (late Libyan leader Muammar) Gaddafi twice. Are those the relations Venezuelans want? No!“
Capriles said he would also try to sit down with Cuban President Raúl Castro to review the presence of more than 40,000 Cuban workers who are in Venezuela in exchange for oil supplies.
”And I've told the Russian ambassador here that we are going to stop buying weapons from Russia,” he added, referring to Chávez's multibillion-dollar arms purchases from Moscow.
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Good luck Henrique for the 7th.
Hope the Gringos are listening to him.
Buena suerte JM!!!
That's a funny post: do you not realise that Venezuela has been unable to run the tractor plant properly since February this year.
The blockade on Iran means they cannot export the parts, even if Chavez offers payment in USD.
So I don't think the workers are working anyway. Dealing with Diablo will get his arse burnt.
ChrisR (#) Whare do you get your information? What blockade? Iranian ships are enntering and leaving their harbors at will.
Your comment is based on articles published in February. None of this is happening at this time.
Mmmm. I don't hear Mr. Capriles complaining about Mercosur in his specches.
.
I suspect that Capriles is also no doubt responsible for starving children in North Korea too.
If Iran would abandon its nuclear program (or... ahem.. open it ALL up for inspections) would honor the votes of its electorate (you know and not keep the person who allegedly got second or even third(!) place in power), let its girls go to college, stop lynching “non-existant” gays from cranes, stop supporting terrorist groups and the regime in Syria, then I suspect that people worldwide would be maybe a little more inclined to trade with Iran.
A 100 Argentinean pesos bill
16 Argentinean pesos in coins ( no Malvinas coin, sorry)
And a 5 Euro bill Iapparently forgot to put away on a landslide victory of at least 14% for Hugo Chavez next Sunday..........
I LOVE IT!!!!
sounds like the future of Argentina if Cristina the Dictator keeps going ;D
My sources are based principaly after reading the German DeWelt and related articles. Many of them BTW, Click on this link....
righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/venezuela/
I guess you are an american, and if so, you are just as blind as Hussain Obama is.
You do not understand that you are the next in line. After finishing with “little Satan” next is “Big Satan”. Paraguana is an ideal launching site for a 5-10 Mton nuclear war head to be detonated 300-500 miles over central US. After doing the same over Israel. Google “1 Secong Later” and try to understand what I mean.
If you didn't, so sad for you and for all who don't.
www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/02/un-agency-says-it-will-stop-calculating-chile-stats-after-25-years/
Apparently none of tMercoPress's American or British “Experts” in Latinamerican Affairs is willing to take my wager at (7)......
Wonder why?.....
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