MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Colombia/Venezuela to resume relations, Santos anticipates to Lula da Silva

President Juan Manuel Santos

Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos informed his Brazilian peer Lula da Silva that Bogotá and Venezuela would resume full diplomatic relations “in coming hours”, according to a spokesperson from the Brazilian presidency.

The spokesperson said that that the Colombian president was on the phone Monday night with Lula da Silva and told him that Colombia and Venezuela would in coming hours be making public the resumption of full diplomatic relations interrupted two weeks ago.

However Santos did not disclose details as to when or where the official announcement was to be made.

The news comes a few hours before the meeting of President Santos with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez that is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in the city of Santa Marta, on the Colombian Caribbean coast.

Venezuela severed relations with Colombian following former President Alvaro Uribe’s claim before the Organization of American States that President Chavez was tolerating the presence of Colombian guerrillas and leaders on Venezuelan territory.

In related news it was announced that Colombian Vice-president Angelino Garzón, 64, underwent heart surgery on Monday and remains in intensive care in a stable condition, said the medical report.

“The vice president is in stable condition in the framework of the complexity of the situation; the next 48 hours evolution are crucial”, said the report. Garzón was hospitalized late Sunday after suffering severe chest pains. He underwent surgery Monday morning for five coronary by-passes.

Garzón took the oath last Saturday together with President Juan Manuel Santos. A union leader he was previously Minister of Labour, provincial governor and Colombian representative before the International Labour Organization