Western Hemisphere
The entry of paramilitaries into our country is part of a silent declaration of war against Venezuela, said Wednesday National Assembly Deputy Mario Isea.

Isea said on the TV show Despertó Venezuela, broadcast by the state-run TV station Venezolana de Televisión, that Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez is aware of this situation. The lawmaker added that this action is related to "conspiracy plans" that according the ruling party were organized by the former mayor of Maracaibo, Manuel Rosales, who is currently living in Peru.

The lawmaker explained that Táchira state governor César Pérez Vivas, who is also involved in the destabilization plan, "has ties to Colombian paramilitaries," the state-run news agency Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias (ABN) reported.

"We must fight strongly against paramilitaries, as President Hugo Chávez Frías has said. (...) We are promoting the coordination of all the government agencies," Isea added.

The lawmaker also said that the presence of Colombian agents of the Security Administrative Department (DAS) in Venezuela is also related to the plot.

Conspiracy in Táchira state
Pro-government lawmaker Nellyver Lugo noted that crime has increased dramatically in the state of Táchira because of the link that César Pérez Vivas, the governor of the western Venezuelan state, has with Colombian paramilitaries.

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas