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Venezuelan ambassador presents letter on Colombia to U.N.

27 July 2010 02:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations brought his country’s complaints about neighbor Colombia to the U.N. secretary-general Monday in the form of a letter explaining his government’s decisions, APA reports quoting CNN.
Venezuela has cut diplomatic relations with Colombia and accused its government of letting decades-long internal strife spill over its borders.
Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Valero Briceo said that he had delivered a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon explaining his government’s decision, and that he had asked that the letter be circulated to U.N. member nations. But he would not say whether he had asked Ban for any specific U.N. action.
The Venezuelan government has accused the Colombian government of acting in alliance with the United States to engage in a war against Venezuela, Valero Briceo told reporters after his meeting with Ban.
Tensions between the two countries have been high ever since the Colombian government earlier this month accused Venezuela of harboring rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- known by its Spanish abbreviation, FARC. The United States has poured millions of dollars in aid into Colombia in an attempt to stem drug trafficking.
The Venezuelan ambassador said that Colombian President lvaro Uribe has refused to find out any mechanism of dialogue to put an end to the internal conflict his country. Valero Briceo said that Latin American history showed that non-violent dialogue was the only way to end conflict.
Valero Briceo left open the possibility of a resumption of diplomatic ties if Colombia changed its policies. He said that he hoped Juan Manuel Santos, who will assume the Colombian presidency next month, would start a new state of bilateral relations between Venezuela and Colombia.
A statement released by the Ban last week called for restraint by all involved so that the situation can be resolved in a peaceful manner.