Colombia’s Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez Tuesday rejected a peace plan that Venezuela will present during a Union of South American States (UNASUR) summit, called to address Colombia’s allegations of a guerrilla presence in Venezuela.
“A true peace plan begins with not interfering in the internal affairs of any country,” Bermudez said.
Venezuela’s “peace proposal for Colombia is as if Colombia of any other country were to speak of a plan for democracy for Venezuela,” the foreign minister continued.
“But, moreover, a true peace plan begins with not allowing criminals to exist in any place in the world, that they do not have any space, neither physical not political,” Bermudez said.
The Colombian foreign minister’s comments follow an announcement by his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro that Venezuela will present “a methodology for a peace plan” at the UNASUR summit in Quito, Ecudor on Thursday, in order to avoid “the outgoing [Colombian] government from undertaking desperate actions that may result in some type if military action.”
Maduro made the announcement following a meeting with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez in Buenos Aires. The Venezuelan foreign minister is touring South American to rally support for the socialist nation’s decision to break all ties with Colombia, after Colombia presented alleged evidence of 87 guerrilla camps in Venezuela to the Organization of American States (OAS) last Thursday.
Bermudez confirmed that he will attend the Thursday UNASUR summit.
