MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula: Colombia-Venezuela crisis is “secondary issue”

Brazilian president Luiz Inancio Lula da Silva called on Colombia and Venezuela not to waste energy bickering over secondary issues.

During his address to the World Social Forum held in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, Mr. Lula da Silva made a strong appeal to South American unity and revealed some of his administration's initiatives to prevent the current Colombia-Venezuela crisis from worsening.

The crisis erupted following the capture by bounty hunters of a Colombian guerrilla leader in Venezuela. Colombia argues Rodrigo Granda was delivered in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, while Venezuela claims he was kidnapped in Venezuela in an operation involving violation of sovereignty and bribing local officials.

"Now we have a problem between Colombia and Venezuela, and we didn't remain at home; I went to Colombia and a good friend of mine to Venezuela so discussions can begin and harmony be re established", said Mr. Lula da Silva who last week met in a border town with Colombian president Alvaro Uribe while his security advisor Marco Aurelio García travelled to Venezuela to talk with President Hugo Chavez.

"The core of the matter is that we are poor countries and we don't have a right to waste our energies bickering over secondary issues", underlined the Brazilian president.

Meanwhile in Lima, Peru, a meeting between the Foreign Affairs ministers from Colombia and Venezuela concluded without having arrived to a solution to the diplomatic dispute.

"There won't be any statement, nothing so far", said Colombian Minister Carolina Barcos while her counterpart from Venezuela, Alí Rodriguez made a similar comment, "for the moment there's no declaration".

The meeting was held in the Peruvian Foreign Affairs Office under the auspices of Peruvian minister Manuel Rodríguez.

"We've advanced", said Ms. Barco adding that the meeting was held in "a very constructive atmosphere".

However both ministers pointed out they were surprised by press expectations about a possible joint declaration on the issue.