COLOMBIA-VENEZUELA: It Was All Just a Simple Mistake

By Humberto Márquez Reprint | | Print |

Humberto Marquez

CARACAS, Jul 23 1996 (IPS) - The Colombian and Venezuelan foreign ministers took refuge in caution Tuesday, to calm the storm caused by criticism of the Venezuelan army from Colombia’s President Ernesto Samper.

Once the controversy was declared overcome, the governments returned to planning a summit between Samper and his Venezuelan counterpart, Rafael Caldera, who have not met on bilateral business since 1994.

Colombia’s Foreign Minister, Maria Emma Mejia will arrive in Caracas Sunday, as initially planned, to meet with Venezuela’s Miguel Angel Burelli, a Colombian embassy representative told IPS.

Both the Colombian and Venezuelan authorities consider the matter, only the latest confrontation on frontier issues, to be closed, and the flourishing bilateral trade should be able to continue unstinted.

Along with saving the summit, it is also clear the foreign ministers acted to put an end to what would be a new source of conflict at a moment when the Samper government is already at loggerheads with the United States, over the withdrawal of the President’s US visa.

This incident this weekend began when the press reported Saturday that Samper had claimed “corrupt elements in the Venezuelan armed forces” had supplied Colombian guerrillas and drug traffickers with 300 weapons in return for money and drugs.

He was also supposed to have added that Venezuelan warships were “arresting and mistreating Colombian fishing crews in disputed frontier waters.

These declarations caused outrage amongst Venezuelan politicians, and the planned summit meeting was thrown into doubt.

However, on Monday the Colombian foreign ministry said Samper would not have made these statements on Saturday, though a document belonging to Guillermo Uribe, his Security and Defence officer, containing such information was given to Parliament as part of the annual report.

Bogota ordered the publication to be recalled as it “did not reflect the President’s point of view,” said Mejia, adding that Uribe should give up his post, and regretting the “discomfort caused” to the government of Venezuela.

Burelli was satisfied that the whole event had been a simple mistake, and that the issue was now closed.

However, many doubts are still in the air. Why did the head of Venezuelan deplomacy react so strongly to an unconfirmed tale, and why did Bogota take two days to come up with the answer?

“What could be called a notable incident illustrates the sensitivity and importance of relations bewtween Colombia and Venezuela,” said former Foreign Minister Simon Alberto Consalvi.

But all is once more quiet on the western front, at least for now, profitable bilateral trade can continue undisturbed, and the president’s can meet in peace within the next few months.