Colombia to replace OAS ambassador

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia to replace OAS ambassador
Monday, 28 March 2011 13:38
Hannah Aronowitz

Colombia's ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), a frequent attacker of Venezuela's government throughout the previous administration, will reportedly be replaced in order to improve bilateral relations between the neighboring countries, reports newspaper El Espectador.

During the former administration under Alvaro Uribe, Hoyos repeatedly attacked Venezuela for its alleged ties to Colombia's largest guerrilla group the FARC. He had declared to the OAS that Venezuelan authorities were "guarding and keeping" several members of the FARC's Secretariat in their territory.

It appears that Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos' decision to relieve Luis Alfonso Hoyos of his post is in light of Friday's meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Cartagena.

As the Santos administration prioritizes the normalization of ties between the two countries after a difficult diplomatic period under Uribe, it is expected that the Colombian president will formalize the decision to replace the ambassador soon.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15203-colombia-to-replace-oas-ambassador.html