The foreign ministers of Colombia and Venezuela met in Bogota on
Wednesday to try to ease tension caused by Colombian Defense
Minister Juan Manuel Santos, who criticized Venezuela for not
cooperating with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro arrived in Bogota
from Panama at 07:30 GMT on Wednesday and went to meet his
counterpart Fernando Araujo at the Foreign Ministry's San Carlos
Palace headquarters.
"We want to build a positive agenda. There are so many elements
for a cooperative agenda and constructive brotherhood. That is why
we come. To work!" Maduro said as he arrived at the Palace.
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During the talk, the ministers discussed anti-drug, energy, trade
and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.
Colombian Defense Minister Santos has recently lamented that
Venezuela was not cooperating with the DEA to fight drug smuggling,
saying that's why Venezuela exports so much cocaine to Europe. He
also blamed that the exports have destabilized his country. His
remarks have caused angry rebound from Venezuela and soured
bilateral relations.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez formally suspended cooperation
with the US Drug Enforcement Administration in 2005, accusing its
agents of spying.
(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2007)
