Peace process in Venezuela and Colombia
Peace process in Venezuela and Colombia
Clara Nieto, May 14, 2013
Colombia needs peace in its important neighbour, and ought to have Venezuela's support.
The crisis in Venezuela caused by the violent opposition of followers of Henrique Capriles, who is accusing president Nicolas Maduro of election fraud, and peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas in Havana, are occupying the attention of national and foreign media.
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Achieving peace is a priority for Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos...
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Santos sought an understanding with Cuba, talked of inviting the country to be an observer at the Fifth Summit of the Americas, a United States-backed project that excluded the Caribbean island nation, and sought the support of Fidel Castro and President Raul Castro to hold secret exploratory talks with the FARC in Cuba. These led to a 10-point agenda that is the basis of the current negotiations.
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Essential agreements
Venezuela and Chavez supported Colombia in this. Santos reestablished good bilateral relations with Venezuela, broken off during the government of former president Alvaro Uribe, and created an atmosphere of peace and collaboration. Recently he stated that this support was crucial for achieving essential agreements in Havana.
Chavez, a friend to the FARC, regarded the Colombian conflict as a threat to the security of Venezuela. A solution was necessary to remove a pretext for the US to intervene in their countries, he said. Venezuela is surrounded by US military bases in the Caribbean, including seven in Colombian territory that former president Uribe ceded to the US.
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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/332184/peace-process-venezuela-colombia.html
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Andale!