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Chavez to Sever Ties With Colombian Government

Associated Press
Published | Updated

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday he was cutting off all contacts with the Colombian government, but fell short of announcing an end to diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The announcement came after a series of sharp exchanges between Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe over the Venezuelan's removal as a mediator between Colombia's government and rebels.

"While President Uribe is president of Colombia I will have no type of relationship with him or with the government in Colombia," Chavez said.

Speaking in the southwestern state of Tachira, Chavez said he will not have any relationship with a "president who is capable of such barefaced lies, disrespects another president that he has called a friend, one that he called on for help."

The Venezuelan president had a similar spat in late 2005 with then Mexican President Vicente Fox. While relations between Mexico and Venezuela were reduced to lower-level diplomats, ties were not formally severed.

Uribe, whose term runs into 2010, appeared to try to calm the dispute with Chavez earlier Wednesday, saying that presidents should put aside their "angers" and "vanities" to get on with their work.

Chavez recalled his ambassador to Colombia on Tuesday. Colombian Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo vowed not to call back Colombia's ambassador in Caracas, insisting his government's dispute is not with Venezuela, but with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

The Andean neighbors share a 1,380-mile border and $5 billion in trade last year, maintaining friendly relations despite sharp ideological differences — until now.

Uribe removed the leftist Chavez and a Colombian senator from talks with the FARC rebels a week ago, saying the Venezuelan leader had violated the conditions of his involvement by speaking directly to the head of Colombia's army.

Chavez on Sunday said he was putting relations with Colombia "in the freezer," calling Uribe a "liar" and accusing him of "not wanting peace."

Uribe replied hours later by charging Chavez with pushing an "expansionist project" across Latin America and saying the Venezuelan seemed to want Colombia to fall "victim to a terrorist FARC government."