The impasse between the governments of Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia has moved onto the international scene. Brazilian President Lula Da Silva admits that South America is not prepared to deal with such conflicts and that nobody in the region wants war. Da Silva says he has talked to several Presidents and all agree on seeking a negotiated solution restoring tranquility and economic stability to the region.
Brazil will ask the Organization of American States (OAS) to investigate the incident to ascertain exactly where the bombing took place. According to Da Silva, Colombia could have asked Ecuador to arrest FARC rebels in their territory ... "that didn't happen ... we must seek a solution to the problem." The Brazilian President also states that tension between Venezuela and Colombia is nothing new and that there has been a war of nerves between the two countries for some time.
Peruvian President Alan Garcia has met Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa during the latter's visit to Lima. Both have condemned the Colombian army's attack on Ecuadorian soil, which resulted in the death of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) leader, Raul Reyes. Garcia says it is a problem that must be solved between Colombia and Ecuador respecting international principles and nobody should interfere in the problem.
Criticizing Venezuela, Garcia contends that the presence of a third country in the conflict only confuses things. Venezuela has not been offended because there was no incursion into its territory and should keep out of the problem, the Peruvian President insists. Garcia states that while he thanks President Chavez for his solidarity, there are some points of view which he does not share with the Venezuelan President.
During a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS), Colombia's representative, Camilo Ospina has asked the OAS to create an exploratory committee to help seek alternative solutions to the crisis with Ecuador and to set up an extraordinary meeting of OAS foreign ministers.
The US government has called on all governments to show a united front against the FARC and says it trusts that the problem between Colombia and Ecuador will be solved through the mediation of the OAS. State Department spokesman, Tom Casey says the FARC has been a problem for Colombians for decades and the US is committed to help Colombia respond to the threat of the FARC. The cross-border attack which resulted in the death of 15 FARC rebels, Casey proclaims, was an individual military incident that has raised concerns of Ecuador regarding actions involving Colombians and it is understandable.
The US urges Ecuador to work diplomatically with the Colombian government to resolve pending and related affairs.
French President Nicholas Sarkozy has announced that he is ready to go to the border between Venezuela and Colombia if necessary to ensure the freedom of the Colombia-French hostage, Ingrid Betancourt. The French President admits that FARC leader, Raul Reyes was killed while on a mission to liberate Betancourt within the context of the humanitarian exchange of FARC hostages for FARC prisoners in government prisoners.
The French President's concern comes after four freed hostages confirmed last week that Betancourt's health was very bad. In a damning confession, French Foreign Minister, Bernard Koucher has stated that Colombia was aware that France maintained contacts with Raul Reyes to secure the humanitarian agreement and it is believed that Reyes was about to meet several European emissaries.
Venezuela's representative before the OAS, Jorge Valero has criticized Colombia's position and calls the military incursion into Ecuador an act of genocide. At an extraordinary OAS meeting to discuss the situation, the diplomat maintains that the OAS cannot allow the implementation of state terrorism and the genocide in the supposed war on terrorism. As regards Colombian representative, Camillo Ospina's insistence on documents found in laptops from the guerrilla camp connecting the FARC with Ecuadorian and Venezuelan governments, Valero replies that it is simply "distracting diplomatic pirotechnics aimed at turning aggressor into victim." The Colombian government has become a "belligerent enclave" that ignores political and diplomatic negotiation to solve its internal conflict and seeks a military solution that spills over into other countries.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@gmail.com
Alan García is a long-time enemy of the latin american working-class: and here he is trying to break socialist solidarity across borders by pretending the usual bourgeois fiction -- in the interests of U.S. imperialism -- that relations can only be country by country, in splendid isolation from each other.
ReplyDeleteHistory will have none of that, García. Go to Hell. The people of Ecuuador and Venezuela WILL come to each others' aid from now on. COUNT on it.