[NYTr] Fighting Drugs: Venezuela, Colombia, and US Southern Command

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

VIO Venezuela Daily News Roundup - August 1, 2007.

[Venezuela may appoint a liaison to the U.S. military's Southern
Command, El Universal reports, allowing both countries to collaborate
further on initiatives such as anti-drug policing.  A U.S. official
remarked, ""We have had always good military relations with
Venezuela."  Anti-drug spraying by the Colombian military is being
carried out along the border with Venezuela, with strong cooperation
between the countries; Colombia's Ambassador commented that "Relations
with Venezuela are superb."  -VIO]


US Southern Command invites Venezuela to resume ties

El Universal - July 31, 2007
http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/07/31/en_pol_art_us-southern-command_31A908079.shtml

The US Administration invited the government of Venezuelan President
Hugo Chávez to appoint an official who acts as liaison with the
Southern Command, said Eduardo Villavicencio, the coordinator of the
Southern Command anti-drug operations, during an interview released
Monday in Quito.

"The post is vacant; the invitation is open; whenever the Venezuelan
government wants to send an official, we will welcome him," the US
military officer told Ecuadorian daily newspaper El Comercio.

According to the official of Cuban origin, Chávez' government should
have sent 15 months ago a substitute of the official responsible for
such operations.

"We have had always good military relations with Venezuela. This
country had a liaison officer in Key West, Florida, until 15 months
ago. However, no replacement was sent at the time of turnover," he said.

The United States assures that Chávez' government does not fight drug
traffic decidedly and has branded Venezuela as a country of transit of
illicit drugs, AFP reported.

Venezuelan Minister of the Interior and Justice Pedro Carreño replied
that the US should "take such actions formally." He added that the
decision to send a liaison officer to the Southern Command should be
assessed by President Hugo Chávez together with Minister of Foreign
Affairs Nicolás Maduro.

                            ***

El Universal - July 31, 2007
http://www.eluniversal.com/2007/07/31/en_pol_art_colombia-advises-ven_31A908283.shtml

Colombia advises Venezuela of fumigations

Colombian police airplanes since last week are fumigating some 1.5
hectares of illegal drug crops in departments bordering with Venezuela,
Tuesday Colombian authorities said, adding that Caracas was advised of
such operations.

Spraying is conducted on Perijá mountains, (northeast) from armored
fumigation aircraft that are escorted by six helicopters, an officer
with the Colombian anti-drug police told AFP.

Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Fernando Araújo said he talked to
Venezuelan Ambassador to Bogotá Pavel Rondón about the operation, and
ruled out any conflict between the two countries over the fumigations.

"Relations with Venezuela are superb. Ambassador Rondón addressed this
topic and I told him we were willing to monitor this issue," Araújo
told reporters.

Last Monday, Colombian anti-drug officers fumigated some 92 hectares in
the towns of Tibú and Teorema, over the border with Venezuela.

Venezuela has backed Ecuador protests against Colombian fumigations
over the border with Ecuador. The fumigations stopped early this year,
AFP reported.