Colombia Passport

Colombia dismissed a peace proposal for its internal conflict that Venezuela intends to present in the summit of chancellors of UNASUR, the South American Union of Nations, in Quito. Colombian chancellor Jaime Bermúdez declared that it is not a fundamental solution.

Bermúdez said that a true plan of peace is the not intervention in the domestic affairs of other countries. The chancellor added that a compromise for peace is that no place in the world must become a shelter for criminal groups like the Farc guerrillas. ‘The true plan of peace is arrest those criminals wherever they could be,‘ he concluded. Bermúdez said also that there is not plans to attack Venezuela with the support of US, as Caracas insists. ‘Our enemies are the drug traffickers and terrorism. It is unthinkable an aggression or confrontation against a brother country,‘ he insisted. He concluded that Colombia will look in the UNASUR summit for the ways to verify and prevent the presence of Farc guerrillas in Venezuela.

Venezuela asks ‘rectification’ from Colombia

By his part, the Venezuela chancellor Nicolás Maduro said in Buenos Aires that his country needs a due ‘rectification’ from the next Colombian government of Juan Manuel Santos in order to forward a relation based in an ‘absolute respect.’

He insisted also that the South American nations should promote a plan of peace for the region. ‘The solution is going to the peace of Colombia and build the peace; the solution must be built by South America,‘ he said in a press conference in the Argentinian capital.

The words of Maduro were answered by chancellor Bermúdez, who said that Colombia cannot give any kind of ‘rectification’ to its denounces of Farc and ELN presence in the Venezuelan territory. ‘What to be rectified? Do you think we are going to rectify? Do you think that Colombia will go back in what it is said? Do you think it is a story? Absolutely no! he said and concluded that Colombia has proves of the guerrilla presence in Venezuela and its locations.

Farc tries to promote a peace process in order to strength

President Álvaro Uribe said that Farc is trying to promote a peace process in the international arena in order to gain strength. ‘It is a trap in order to get strength and avoid confrontation with the authorities,’ he said. He asks the fulfillment of international law in the war on terrorism by not sheltering its members. Uribe recommended to the next government of Juan Manuel Santos, who will take possession on August 7, to keep up the offensive against illegal groups. He concluded that his government fought guerrillas and paramilitary groups alike and there were not the temptation to think that some were heroes and other villains. He asked also to the Colombian army a deep compromise with the human rights.

Social emergency in the border with Venezuela

The Colombian government decreed a social emergency status in the border region with Venezuela for the collapse of commerce after the conflict with Caracas. In the measures the traders of the region (16% of the towns of border with the neighboring country) were temporary exonerated from VAT  from several products like food, clothing, shoes, textile and material for construction.

There is also the possibility to create economic zones in municipalities at the Venezuelan border until December 31, 2011.