MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela: only a “political negotiation” can end 60 years of violence in Colombia

Nicolás Maduro, his master’s voice

Venezuela’ Foreign Affairs minister Nicolás Maduro revealed to Paraguayan officials that his country would be proposing in the coming Unasur meeting a “political negotiation” to end decades of political violence in Colombia.

Maduro is holding a round of meetings with leaders from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay ahead of the Unasur (Union of South American Nations) Foreign Affairs meeting scheduled for Thursday in Ecuador to address the latest conflict between Venezuela that severed relations with neighbouring Colombia.

President Chavez took the drastic action following claims by Colombia before OAS, that FARC and ELN guerrillas were “tolerated” in Venezuelan territory.

During a Tuesday early morning meeting in Asunción with President Fernando Lugo, Foreign Affairs minister Hector Lacognata, international affairs presidential advisor Hugo Ruiz Díaz, Maduro said Venezuela would not tolerate any threat or aggression to its sovereignty “as has been indicated by outgoing Colombian president Alvaro Uribe” adding Caracas is proposing a “political negotiation” process at continental level to solve the current crisis situation with Bogotá.

In search of support for Venezuela’s proposal, Maduro argued that what is needed is peace in Colombia and this can be achieved by promoting a “political negotiation” between FARC guerrilla leaders and “the new Colombian government that takes office the first week of August”.

Colombian president-elect and former Defence minister Juan Manuel Santos takes office August 7 having won the election as Uribe’s successor by a landslide.

“Chavez is proposing to country members of Unasur the need for peace in Colombia after decades of violence, and for this a political negotiation with the guerrillas is essential”, said Maduro.

Nevertheless “we want to alert the continent to be ready for any aggression threat. We reject all the lies and infamies that are been said against us” pointed out the Venezuelan official.

Before leaving Paraguay, Maduro again insisted that “ending the sixty years of political violence in Colombia can only be achieved through a political negotiation”.

Paraguayan chancellor Lacognata revealed that President Lugo had also been on the phone with his Colombian peer Alvaro Uribe and again had offered to mediate in the conflict with Venezuela.