Western Hemisphere
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez rejected on Friday a "joint monitoring system" of the border with Colombia, which was recently proposed by Marco Aurelio García, the foreign policy adviser to the Brazilian Presidency.

The Venezuelan leader said that his government would not allow the presence of "any supranational force" in the area.

"We protect our borders, such as Brazil protects its borders," Chávez said, recalling his reply to the adviser to Brazilian President Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva, in a recent conversation in Caracas, AFP reported.

"We will not accept a supranational force protecting our borders. Colombia must take care of its border," Chávez said during the inauguration of the International Book Fair 2009.

García had suggested that Venezuela and Colombia could agree on a non-aggression pact as well as a "system for joint monitoring of their common border." Brazil could provide assistance through "technical means."

Chávez insisted on saying that "the problem is not the border, but the military bases."