Colombia's Defense Minister, Juan Manuel Santos has denied that the US forward position location (FOL) base in Mantra (Ecuador) will be transferred to the Northern Colombian La Guajira region. The Minister accuses President Chavez of creating a storm in a teacup. Yesterday, Chavez confirmed that he had information that his Colombian counterpart, President Alvaro Uribe had authorized the FOL move to La Guajira, which borders on Venezuela. During a visit to the Orinoco oil belt with Portuguese Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, Chavez warned Colombia that it was playing a perverse game to destabilize South America ... "it is playing with fire." Venezuela could start efforts to reclaim the La Guajira territory, which he proclaims, once belonged to Venezuela. "They took that land away from us," the President comments, "what does Colombia want ... that we return to those discussions?" Finally, the President threatens, if they allow a US military base to be set up in the region, then Venezuela will start discussions about recovering the whole Guajira region. Colombian Foreign Minister, Fernando Araujo retorts that the borders between Colombia and Venezuela have been drawn up clearly and there is no doubt about Colombian sovereignty over its part of the La Guajira region.
During a speech at the military academy in Caracas, President Chavez has called the upcoming Interpol report on content supposedly found on computers belonging to a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) leader, Raul Reyes, nothing but a "show" to accuse Venezuelan military. The show, he says, will sure that the documents are true and therefore, that Chavez supports terrorism and so does the Venezuelan military. The President has called a press conference with foreign correspondents on Friday to "counter the ignominy of the Colombian government." Chavez quips that he knows what the attacks will be: that he gave $300 million to the FARC and "I don't know how many rifles and even enriched uranium to make an atomic bomb ... it's ridiculous but there is a well- conceived US plan using the Colombian government to attack Venezuela." Meanwhile, Chavez counterattacks stating that Uribe's government has strong connections with paramilitaries and more than half of the Colombian Congress has proven contact with paramilitaries and narco-trafficking.
In a meeting of political parties making up the Patriotic Alliance to discuss the regional elections and candidacies, United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) vice president, General (ret.) Alberto Muller Rojas admits that several States are proving difficult for the majority party: Tachira because of lack of leadership, Zulia owing to internal divisions, with Carabobo and Nueva Esparta presenting their own problems. The consultation process on June 1, Muller Rojas indicates, will determine local natural leadership in the municipalities. Once that has been established, the PSUV will then assess alliances for those places where there is no overall PSUV leadership. The General says there are some candidacies that are winners and others where there are doubts and in those cases, the alliance would be consulted. Minority parties attending the meeting have expressed doubts about the "irremovable" candidates proposed by the PSUV, even though they insist on respecting the internal process of the PSUV. Muller Rojas has announced that talks between alliance parties will take place in Caracas between party leaders and there will be no alliance debates in the regions to avoid divisions and sabotage.
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel says she will greet all Latin American and Caribbean heads of state equally when she meets them at the opening of Friday's Latin America-European Union summit in Lima. On a stopover in Brazil, the German leader has dismissed talks of problems at the summit and has rejected rumors that Brazilian President Lula Da Silva will intermediate between herself and President Chavez after a diplomatic row that erupted at the beginning of the week regarding personnel influences in Latin America and the European Union. Merkel insists that she can take care of her own problems. Lula says that anyone who knows Chavez and Mrs. Merkel can rest assured ... "they will meet, sit down for coffee together and the relationship between the two countries will continue its march."
According to Notitarde tabloid, the first MI-26 Russian helicopter has flown from the naval military base in Puerto Cabello to San Felipe (Yaracuy) where the helicopter battalion operates within the Army aviation school. Helicopter parts arrived separately by ship several weeks ago and the assembly started last week. The helicopters can carry 200 persons and more than 20 tonnes weight. A second helicopter expected to be ready this week.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@gmail.com
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