Page 11 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS A11
Tuesday 22 September 2015

Leaders of Colombia, Venezuela attempt to overcome crisis

predecessor threatened Santos.
war with the late Hugo Santos says he has low ex-
Chavez, has thrown off his pectations for the summit
habitual restraint and ac- after two previous meetings
cused Maduro’s social- between the countries’
ist revolution of self-de- foreign ministers failed to
structing and using tactics produce a breakthrough.
employed by Nazi shock In recent days, Colombia
troops. has denounced the illegal
Monday’s meeting was flyover of three Venezu-
brokered by Ecuadorean elan fighter jets as well as
President Rafael Correa, the incursion into its territory
a close ally of Venezuela, of a Venezuelan National
and Uruguay’s President Guard patrol chasing an in-
Tabare Vazquez, the cur- dividual whose motorcycle
rent rotating head of the they burned when he fled.
12-member Union of South “I’m going with the best of
American Nations. intentions but without great
Both leaders are expect- expectations,” Santos said
ed to attend the meeting in a message posted on
alongside Maduro and Twitter Sunday night.q

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, accompanied by his first
lady Cilia Flores, flashes a ‘v’ sign as he arrives at government
palace, in Quito, Ecuador, Monday, Sept. 21, 2015. The leaders
of Colombia and Venezuela traveled to Ecuador on Monday in
a bid to overcome a monthlong border crisis that has paralyzed
trade and movement along the frontier.

(AP Photo/Patricio Realpe)

JACOBO GARCIA bian counterpart, Juan
Associated Press Manuel Santos, have only
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — sharpened their attacks,
The leaders of Colombia with communities on both
and Venezuela traveled sides of the border suffer-
to Ecuador on Monday in ing from the closure of all
a bid to ease tension that land crossings along a bor-
has paralyzed trade and der five times the size of the
movement along the bor- one separating France and
der. Germany.
The crisis began when Pres- Maduro accuses Santos
ident Nicolas Maduro de- of being complicit in an
ported some 1,500 Colom- alleged plan hatched
bians migrants he blamed by right-wing elements in
for the smuggling that has Colombia and the U.S. to
helped empty Venezuelan overthrow his government
supermarket shelves. An- but struck a conciliatory
other 16,000 Colombians, tone upon his arrival to the
some of whom have lived Ecuadorean capital.
in Venezuela for years, fled “I’m asking to begin a new
voluntarily, fearing reprisals era, of respect and mutual-
from Venezuelan troops ly beneficial cooperation,”
who were seen bulldozing said Maduro.
homes and forcing resi- “Nobody should stick their
dents to flee across a river noses in the internal af-
separating the two coun- fairs of Venezuela, and
tries with their belongings we won’t stick ours in the
slung across their backs. internal affairs of anybody
Although the deportation else.”
and mass exodus of Co- Meanwhile Santos, who
lombians have ceased, successfully restored ties
Maduro and his Colom- with Venezuela after his