Western Hemisphere
Former Colombian President Ernesto Samper said on Wednesday that the Colombian Ambassador to Venezuela, María Luisa Chiappe, should be recalled for consultation, while tensions between the two countries are overcome.

In an interview with La FM, a Colombian radio station, Samper said that the current crisis between Colombia and its neighbors Ecuador and Venezuela is due to the fact that the Colombian defense policy "has absorbed foreign policy. The military events and the ideology of democratic security are determining our foreign policy."

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs is trying to put out the fire ignited by our policy of democratic security," said the former ruler. He mentioned as an example the agreement that Colombia is negotiating with the United States for the use of Colombian military bases by US troops.

"The issue that has unleashed a crisis in our relations with Venezuela is the establishment of military bases. The government did not make any domestic or international consultation about this topic (...) and Venezuela considers it a threat to its own stability," he said.

According to Samper (1994-1998), the lack of adequate diplomatic policies has led to a crisis in the Colombian relations with Ecuador and Venezuela, Efe reported.