An estimated 160.000 Colombian law enforcement agents will reinforce security for when president-elect Juan Manuel Santos takes office next August 7, said General Orlando Paez Baron, head of the Colombian Police’s Citizens Security´.
United Nations officials have expressed their delight at Sunday’s entry into force of the international convention banning the manufacture, use and stockpiling of cluster munitions, calling it a “major advance for the global disarmament and humanitarian agendas.”
Cuban President Raul Castro is not planning to make large-scale market reforms to revive the communist island's struggling economy. But Mr Castro said the role of the state would be reduced in some areas, with more workers allowed to be self-employed or to set up small businesses.
Mexico announced this weekend that it was normalizing diplomatic relations with Honduras given the “significant advances” achieved in addressing the consequences of last year’s coup.
The controversy between Venezuela and Colombia is to mark the rhythm of political conversations during the Mercosur Summit, to be held on August 2 and 3 in the Argentine city of San Juan city in San Juan province.
Once the Mercosur summit is over, on Tuesday afternoon, the presidents of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and of Brazil, Lula da Silva, are to hold a meeting in San Juan to analyse bilateral relations, said Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez reaffirmed that his government's “supreme objective” is to “stop the war-craze” of out-going Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, and he assured the “dilemma” of the bilateral crisis is “between words and missiles.”
A trade agreement with Egypt and the approval of a much-delayed customs code are two of the highlights of the Mercosur leaders Tuesday meeting in Argentina for one of the two annual summits.
Paraguay expects the Mercosur summit that begins Monday in San Juan, Argentina, to approve 650 million US dollars in loans. The Paraguayan Foreign Affairs ministry also confirmed that President Fernando Lugo and chancellor Hector Lacognata will be attending the meeting.
The Aymara priest who blessed Bolivian President Evo Morales at an inauguration ceremony four years ago has been arrested in possession of 240 kilos of cocaine, police said.