American hostages in Colombia
Venezuela, US Talk, Ties Still Strained
By Alexandra Olson, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Venezuela and the United States are on speaking terms to seek the release of three American hostages in Colombia, but an imminent thawing in relations is unlikely because of differences over crucial issues such as Iran, the Venezuelan foreign minister said.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday that he spent much of an hour-long meeting with Thomas Shannon, the top U.S. envoy for the Americas discussing the efforts of President Hugo Chavez to negotiate the release of the three U.S. defense contractors held captive by Colombian rebels since February 2003.
Maduro said Shannon requested the meeting and urged Venezuela to push the FARC rebels for proof that the Americans were still alive. The two also discussed a possible visit by the U.S. diplomat to Venezuela.
Monday's meeting on the sidelines of the U.S. General Assembly was a rare encounter between senior diplomats of two countries whose relations have been tense for years. The U.S. accuses Chavez of being a threat to stability in Latin America, and the Venezuelan leader is constantly criticizing U.S. "imperialism" under President Bush.
Maduro described his first-ever talks with Shannon as "very positive" and said he believed the U.S. and Venezuela could "find common ground the issue of a humanitarian accord to get these citizens home."
But he said there were deep-rooted divisions between the two governments, citing the nuclear dispute with Iran as a key source of friction. Venezuela has pursued close relations with Iran - whose hardline president visited Chavez in Caracas last week - and has defended the Islamic country against allegations that it is secretly seeking nuclear weapons.
"There are many issues that drive us apart, including the idea of some members of the Bush administration to go after Iran," Maduro said.
He claimed there was talk in the "corridors of the U.N." of U.S. plans for a "surprise attack against the peaceful country of Iran" by the end of the year.
"That would be crazy, and the only thing that can stop it is a reaction by the American public, the people of the world and the governments of the world," Maduro said.
Washington has said it is addressing the Iran situation diplomatically, rather than militarily, though U.S. officials also say that all options are open. The U.S. and five other countries trying to resolve the impasse agreed last week to delay consideration of more sanctions against Iran to give the country more time to answer questions about its nuclear program.
A spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations dismissed Maduro's claim.
"The fact is that Bush has stated our goal of resolving the crisis with Iran diplomatically," Benjamin Chang said. "Frankly, I would not put much stock in any rumors that the Venezuelan foreign minister is trying to give credence to."
Despite deep political differences, the U.S. government has generally sought a pragmatic relationship with Venezuela, which remains a major source of American crude oil imports. The State Department released a brief statement on the meeting between Shannon and Maduro, saying the two discussed the hostage situation and that the U.S. "remains committed to engaging positively with Venezuela."
Despite the encounter, Maduro railed against the U.S. in a speech before the General Assembly earlier Tuesday. He lambasted the "death and destruction" in Iraq and warned the world not to allow a similar war with Iran.
Chavez seized the world's attention last year by calling Bush "the devil" in a speech before the assembly. He skipped the meeting this year, instead focusing on his efforts to negotiate the release of the hostages in Colombia.
Last week, Chavez made a rare overture to Bush, asking for support for his mediation efforts between Colombia's largest rebel group and the U.S.-backed government of President Alvaro Uribe.
Maduro said Venezuela welcomed Uribe's proposal that a U.S. Congressional delegation accompany Chavez in his meeting with rebels. He said the meeting was likely to take place within the first two weeks of October but for security reasons, it had not yet been decided who would represent the rebels.
Associated Press Writer Christopher Toothaker contributed to this report from Caracas, Venezuela.
