Yesterday, the Colombian government accused Venezuela of tolerating FARC guerrilla camps in its territory. It's an old story, but still an important one. There's overwhelming evidence that Colombia's guerrillas operate on Venezuelan soil, and that Hugo Chavez's leftist government hasn't tried to do much to combat them - and has in fact sympathized with and supported them. On the other hand, the Venezuelans are correct that Colombia's internal conflict isn't their fault (at least to the extent that they don't support the guerrillas) and they have no obligation to be fighting Colombia's guerrillas.
Right now, both governments are trying to make political profit from the dispute: Colombia's Uribe wants to cement his reputation for holding a tough line against Chavez and the FARC guerrillas, while for the Venezuelans it's another opportunity to rally the faithful by denouncing Colombia as a puppet of el imperio (read: the United States).
None of which should distract from the reality that Venezuela should not be harboring or supporting and supporting guerrillas trying to overthrow Colombia's government, as it is evidently doing.
Blog written by Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours
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