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A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 25 March 2017

Colombia official says Venezuela raid may be tied to crisis

can States to restore Ven- its borders. Santos in the
ezuela’s democratic order. past has generally re-
The official, who spoke on frained from criticizing Ven-
the condition of anonymity ezuela as forcefully as oth-
because he was not au- er regional leaders, worried
thorized to discuss the call, that it could unnecessar-
said Santos also ordered his ily heighten tensions and
top military commanders lead to retaliations against
to arrest the Venezuelans the millions of Colombi-
unless they had withdrawn. ans living in Venezuela. In
Colombia on Thursday 2015, Maduro closed the
joined the U.S., Canada 1,378-mile (2,219 kilome-
and 11 other western hemi- ter) border and expelled
spheric nations in a strong- thousands of Colombians
ly-worded statement call- who he accused of fueling
ing for Maduro to immedi- crime and contraband.
ately hold elections, free Venezuela’s Foreign Minis-
political prisoners and rec- ter Delcy Rodriguez reject-
ognize the legitimacy of ed attempts to present a
the opposition-controlled “distorted” account of the
National Assembly. raid by people seeking to
It was the strongest state- promote a “confrontation
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a rally in Caracas, Venezuela. A Colombian ment yet from a growing between the two broth-
official said a four-day incursion into the country by Venezuelan troops may have been linked cadre of nations in Latin erly nations.” She said the
to Colombia’s call for elections in the troubled, neighboring south American nation. The troops
withdrew Thursday after President Juan Manuel Santos called Maduro to protest. America concerned that troops were on a routine
(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) the political standoff in patrol of the border and
Venezuela at a time of se- attributed their location on
JOSHUA GOODMAN tional flag in a camp they slowly wading across the vere food shortages and the wrong side of the po-
Associated Press set up on a plantain farm. parched Arauca River that triple-digit inflation could rous, mostly empty border
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) The troops withdrew Thurs- divides the two countries erupt into a full-blown crisis. to a seasonal change in
— A Colombian official day after President Juan as dozens of Colombian This week’s cross-border the Arauca River’s course.
said a four-day incursion Manuel Santos called his troops heavily armed with raid, which shocked Co- Earlier this month, OAS
into the country by Ven- Venezuelan counterpart assault rifles look on. lombians but drew scant Secretary General Luis
ezuelan troops may have Nicolas Maduro to protest A Colombian official attention in Venezuela, is Almagro urged regional
been linked to Colombia’s what he called a “totally briefed on the call be- the latest in an increasing governments to suspend
call for elections in the trou- unacceptable” violation of tween the two leaders de- number of border disputes Venezuela from the group
bled, neighboring south Colombia’s sovereignty. A scribed it as tense. He said to rattle relations between unless general elections
American nation. video provided by Colom- that during the conversa- the two neighbors. It also are held soon, detailing
Around 60 Venezuelan sol- bia’s Defense Ministry show tion Maduro complained underscores the risk that in a 75-page report the
diers crossed the border the Venezuelans lowering about Santos’ support for a Venezuela’s deepening Maduro government’s
into Colombia Monday their flag hoisted on a giant diplomatic intervention by political and economic systematic violation of hu-
night and raised their na- bamboo stalk and then the Organization of Ameri- problems could spill across man rights and standards
of democracy. The 14 na-
Venezuela asks UN help in boosting medicine supplies tions in their statement said
that while they are “deeply
concerned” about the situ-
JORGE RUEDA war and the sharp fall in atop the world’s largest pe- gency supplies, including ation in Venezuela, expul-
Associated Press petroleum prices,” Maduro troleum reserves has fallen some medicine, sion from the OAS should
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) said in a televised appear- under Maduro. for victims in Peru of that only be considered as a
— Venezuela’s President ance Friday. Maduro’s socialist adminis- nation’s worst flooding in “last resort” and instead
Nicolas Maduro has asked He didn’t provide any de- tration prides itself on being two decades. called for dialogue.
the United Nations for tails about the request ex- a provider of humanitarian Opponents say such gen- Michael Shifter, president
“help” boosting medicine cept to say that the U.N. aid to poor nations around erosity should be reserved of the Inter-American Dia-
supplies as he struggles to has the expertise to nor- the world. for Venezuelans, who logue, said Thursday’s dec-
combat crippling short- malize the supply and distri- Even as he called Friday have been suffering from laration “is a clear measure
ages. bution of pharmaceutical for the U.N.’s assistance, his widespread shortages and of both the political shift
“I’ve asked for support from drugs in the country. aides were hosting a busi- triple-digit inflation since in South America toward
the U.N. to help treat eco- But just acknowledging ness forum called “Venezu- Maduro was elected in more conservative govern-
nomic and social injuries that Venezuela needs out- elan Powerhouse” and the 2013 following the death ments and the rapidly de-
that have hit our people side help is a telling sign of military was dispatching from cancer of former Pres- teriorating situation in Ven-
caused by the economic how far the nation sitting two cargo planes of emer- ident Hugo Chavez.q ezuela. q