Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Caracas (Agenzia Fides) - Archbishop Roberto Luckert of Coro and Vice-President of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, has made declarations to Union Radio saying that the Church is asking for reconciliation and peace, and insisting that any confrontation with the neighboring countries be avoided, following the crisis that has upset relations between Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. The Archbishop believes it an error to inflate Venezuelan nationalism, recalling the fact that the country is home to over 5 million Colombians, who, if they decided to return to their country, “would paralyze the agriculture industry in Zulia, because all the land there is in the hands of Colombian workers.”
On March 1, two of the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were killed, following a military act carried out by Colombia on Ecuadorian soil, provoking further tensions in Colombian relations with Ecuador and Venezuela. Both Ecuador and Venezuela immediately placed armed forces on the border with Colombia and demanded that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe make written apologies to Ecuador. They have also closed their embassies in Colombia and pulled out their diplomatic personnel. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has declared complete rupture in relations with Colombia, ordering the immediate expulsion of its ambassador from Quito.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also expressed the fact that he is “concerned about the increased tensions and heightened rhetoric emerging over the weekend involving Colombia and its neighbors, Ecuador and Venezuela. He urges restraint and calls on all three countries to address their shared concerns in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation that has traditionally characterized their relations.” (RG) (Agenzia Fides 4/3/2008; righe 23, parole 263)
