Steadier trade relation
Colombia asks Chávez less personal promotion in FARC case
Friday, October 19, 2007
The Colombian government requested Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to reduce the use for personal promotion of his role as mediator in the efforts at humanitarian swap, said on Thursday Colombian Defense Minister José Manuel Santos.
Santos said also that Colombia would rather have a "steadier trade relation" with Venezuela. Since Venezuela pulled out of the Andean Pact to join the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) such relation has been governed "up to the Venezuelan president's mood," AP quoted.
His comments were made during a conversation held at the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think-tank, and are the first ones of their kind made publicly by an envoy of Colombian President Álvaro Uribe in the US capital city.
"We have asked President Chávez to reduce his advertising strategy with regard to his role as mediator and he has accepted it," Santos declared. "Over the last three or four days we have seen nothing of it (any advertising). I hope he will keep his promise. Let us see what will happen."
Chávez became a mediator early September for a potential humanitarian swap of prisoners to be agreed by the Colombian government and the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC).
