MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US tries to re-establish full relations with Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela

The ‘most complicated case” refers to Venezuela and leader Hugo Chavez

United States continues to dialogue with Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, countries where it has no ambassadors in an attempt to normalize relations, said State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland.

“We continue to dialogue with these countries about what would be needed to normalize relations at ambassador level, and to work on that track”, said Nuland during a round with the press on Tuesday.

However she admitted it was not possible to have the three Latin American countries in the same group, since each has its own particularities.

“In the case of Bolivia we would like to be in a better position. In the case of Venezuela things are more difficult”, she said “but we will address each relation based on its own merits”.

“There’s always room to improve any relation that is why we keep to dialogue and continue trying”, she added.

Ecuador and the US withdrew their respective ambassadors last April following President Rafael Correa’s irritation over a Wikileaks US diplomatic cable which reported claims of alleged irregularities in the naming of a police chief by the Executive.

Nevertheless last September both countries named new ambassadors and they are expected to take their posts in the coming months.

Bolivia and the US signed last November a framework agreement to re-launch relations following on almost three years when towards the end of 2008 President Evo Morales expulsed the US ambassador claiming he was supporting a coup against the President.

Both countries agreed that the latest approach was the first step to achieve the return of ambassadors.

United States and Venezuela have no ambassadors since last year and the relation with Caracas, according to Washington is the “most complicated” of South America, as has been admitted in private by US diplomats.