Bloggings by boz

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez:

Let's not waste a day on our main mission: we prepare for war and help the people prepare for war.

Last week Chavez ordered 15,000 troops to the border in response to the recent violence there as well as the new Colombia-US security agreement and allegations of spying. Yesterday, Chavez increased his rhetoric by ordering his military commanders to prepare for war and claiming the US was threatening conflict with Venezuela through Colombia.

Colombia continues to strike a more careful tone. They asked for dialogue with Venezuela. They said they will take the issue of Chavez's threats of war to the UN and OAS. It's clear the Colombian government is trying to deflate the tensions and avoid any confrontations that would spiral further.

Semana covers the work of Brazil and Spain as mediators in the crisis. Lula is pushing hard for a meeting between Chavez and Uribe at the end of this month in Brazil.