Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry Thursday accused Colombia of “hypocrisy”
and “endangering peace and stability” in the region, because of it’s
“warmongering” politics, showing no signs it want to improve relations
after Colombia accused its neighbor of selling weapons to the FARC.
According to a press release by Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry, the Venezuelan government “expresses its outrage over the irresponsibility with which the Colombian government has destroyed efforts to construct a bilateral relationship to benefit both peoples, clearly endangering the peace and stability in the region.”
Venezuela is angry with Colombia, after the latter publicly said Swedish rocket launchers that had been sold to the Venezuelan army were found in camps of Colombia’s largest rebel group FARC.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — who before had said to “revise relations” with Colombia, because of the Colombian plan to allow U.S. military to use Colombian airbases for international anti-narcotics operations — had already recalled the Venezuelan ambassador from Bogota and threatened to suspend trade with Colombia.
Colombia Wednesday said Venezuela was informed on the seizure of Venezuelan weapons in FARC camps two months ago already, but had not responded at all.
Venezuelan media that support its government’s policies say the Colombian accusations are a ‘smokescreen’ to discredit Venezuelan and Ecuadorean protests against the “installation of military bases” in Colombia. The expansion of U.S.-Colombian cooperation is not to fight drug trafficking, but to politically and militarily pressure Colombia’s leftist neighbors, media say.
