CARACAS, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's president,
Hugo Chavez, told a Wednesday public meeting that he does not want any kind of
relationship with Colombia's government while Alvaro Uribe is president there.
"While Uribe is president of Colombia, I will not
have any type of relationship: neither with him, nor with the Colombian
government. I cannot do so, out of self-respect," Chavez told a campaign meeting
with students in the western Venezuela state of Tachira.
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Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez speaks
to supporters during an event in Caracas Nov. 26, 2007. He told a
Wednesday public meeting that he does not want any kind of relationship
with Colombia's government while Alvaro Uribe is president
there. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>> |
Venezuela called Pavel Rondon, its ambassador to
Bogota, home for consultations on Tuesday, after a Sunday television broadcast
during which Chavez said he had ordered a ministerial commission to review the
two nations' ties in trade, energy and military ties and added that relations
with Colombia were officially on ice.
Chavez's remarks came after Uribe made a public
speech, saying that Chavez should "stop acting with rage and vanity."
The row began on Wednesday after Uribe fired Chavez
as mediator from talks between rebels the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, saying the Colombian government was angered by Chavez's speaking
directly to the Colombian government's top army general about the negotiations.
During Wednesday's speech, Chavez accused Uribe of
sabotaging talks with FARC chief Antonio Marin, better known by his war alias
Manuel Marulanda, because the United States did not want them to succeed.
"We were about to make the first major step:
Marulanda was about to deliver the first group of hostages to me, possibly as
soon as the end of this year," Chavez said. "The next step would be to go and
speak to Marulanda in Caguan" in the Colombian jungle.
Seeing this progress, "Washington gave the order, 'we
have to get Chavez out of there'," the president said.
However, Colombia on Tuesday said it had no plans to
recall Fernando Marin, its ambassador to Caracas.
Neighbors Colombia and Venezuela are among South
America's most active trade partners, exchanging around six billion U.S. dollars
of goods each year.