Bloggings by boz

Venezuela will respond at the UN Security Council today to Colombia's concerns. At the UN two weeks ago, Colombia denounced President Chavez's comments about "preparing for war" as well as commercial restrictions, the failure to investigate violence along the border and illicit arms trafficking. Venezuela will respond by accusing the US of building bases in Colombia that are a threat to its sovereignty. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Maduro has also promised to bring proof to UNASUR of the threat.

One Venezuelan official said yesterday that they will no longer export steel or aluminum to Colombia due to Venezuela's "bloqueo comercial." Instead, they will grant preferences to countries with which they have a strategic partnership like Iran.

A report by the Colombian Ombudsman finds 7,000 Colombians living in Venezuela have returned to their home country in the last eight weeks due to fears of violence. The report also indicates that the Venezuelan military, pro-government militias, the FARC and ELN have a close working relationship on the border and that there are instances of the Venezuelan military jointly patrolling border regions with FARC combatants. Witnesses say Venezuelan soldiers have traveled inside Colombia and entered villages in Heran with members of the FARC.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs) has a letter in The Hill saying that Venezuela is provoking regional instability and Chavez's bellicose rhetoric towards Colombia is trying to cover up his domestic problems.

A spokesman for the US State Dept provided a more toned down statement, saying the US government is concerned by the negative rhetoric of Chavez and that Colombia had shown good restraint. He said the US is willing to help promote a peaceful solution to the current dispute.

Adam Isacson has three good recommendations for how the US could provide more transparency to the US-Colombia defense cooperation agreement.