April 26

Chávez warns that he will not tolerate any disrespect from Colombia
"If (Juan Manuel) Santos (is elected) as (Colombia's) President, he could cause a war in this part of the world, upon instructions from the Yankees," President Hugo Chávez said during his TV and radio show Aló Presidente on April 25.

He clarified that he has no candidate for the Colombian elections to be held on May 30, adding that he was willing to resume relations with the neighboring country, "regardless of the winner" of the elections, but if ties "are based on mutual respect."

Chávez said that the former Colombian Defense Minister "is trying to dress as Little Red Riding Hood. We would have to say then, Little Red Riding Hood Santos! (But) he is a wolf sent to bomb and invade Ecuador," such as in the raid (March 2008), where the Colombian army killed Raúl Reyes, the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

"I'm not going to tolerate a single act of disrespect toward our country, because they are not only affecting me but to the Venezuelan people and our Armed Forces. How long are they going to continue repeating that we have guerrillas hidden here, that Venezuelan soldiers give courses to terrorists? ... It's a lie. Instead, they have killed our officers, troops and kidnap our people."

In his view, Santos "should start putting things in order in his head," because "being a minister is not the same thing that being a President of a country." "He should start by saying: I was wrong. I am sorry; as his President did (...) He says that he is proud (of the operation in Ecuador) and that they have to find terrorists where they are." "If he is elected President, we'll see (...) It's up to the people of Colombia, but we will not remain silent," Chávez said.

Santos willing to review pact with the US if it proves to be a threat to Venezuela
Colombian presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos said he was willing to renegotiate a military agreement with the United States if President Hugo Chávez shows that it poses a real threat to Venezuela.

"This text in no way changed the agreement we had under Plan Colombia (to fight against drug trafficking). (President Hugo Chávez,) read the agreement and you will see that there is absolutely no reason to fear that the Colombian territory will be used to attack a third country," Santos told AFP in an interview.

In a direct reference to Chávez, Santos made him an invitation: "If you want, we could read (the text of the agreement) together and if you show me where (the threat is), I will renegotiate the agreement (with the United States)."

April 27

Colombian candidate clarifies that he does not admire Chávez
Colombian presidential candidate Antanas Mockus (independent), who is leading one of the polls in Colombia, on April 27, termed inappropriate his saying that he admired Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

"I used the word admire inappropriately," Mockus said on April 27 in an interview with La FM, a Colombian radio station, a day after the release of a poll according to which the former mayor of Bogotá is the favorite candidate to win the presidential elections to be held on May 30.

"I think nobody would have paid attention to this issue if I had just said that I respect the government of President Chávez, who was democratically elected, anyway," said the leader of the Green Party.

Mockus, 58, recalled that on April 26 in another interview on La Zeta radio, a journalist asked him "if he was afraid of Chávez. I told him: I admire him, and I respect him. I respect and admire people who have been democratically elected."

April 28

Venezuela among hot topics in Colombia's electoral debate
Tense relations with Venezuela, the crisis facing the health system, high jobless rate and corruption were the major topics in a televised debate held on April 27 at night by Colombian presidential candidates, in a context of confusion due to the sharp rise of Green Party's candidate Antanas Mockus.

During the debate, Mockus said that the relations with Venezuela must not be dependent on Colombia's relations with the United States, as a way to resolve the diplomatic crisis with the neighboring country. However, he considered that "there are reasons to favor our relations with the US."

According to the latest Ipsos-Napoleón Franco poll, Mockus would get 38 percent of votes, followed by Santos (29 percent) in the elections to be held on May 30. Meanwhile, the Green Party candidate would be the winner in a runoff to be held on June 20.

Mockus, a mathematician and philosopher, who advocates the importance of law and education, made it clear that "the United States should not prevail in our relations with Venezuela and Venezuela should not prevail in our relations with the US."

Santos: Chávez would have problems "even with Mother Teresa"
Colombian presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos said on April 28 that no matter who wins the next presidential elections in Colombia, tensions with Venezuela will continue, as President Hugo Chávez would have problems "even with Mother Teresa of Calcutta."

Santos, who is the candidate of the right-wing Social National Unity Party, the ruling party in Colombia, said that Chávez's frequent statements about elections in Colombia seek to affect his nomination.

According to Santos, there is consensus among Colombian presidential candidates to reject Chávez's statements, as "it is unacceptable that a foreign leader wants to meddle in the elections," DPA reported.

The former Minister of Defense said that Chávez's seeks to "stop" his race for President. However, he said that whoever wins the next presidential elections in Colombia, the relations between Bogotá and Caracas would remain tense because the Venezuelan government "seeks the phantom of an international enemy."

"You can elect Mother Teresa of Calcutta as Colombian president and she will have troubles in her relations with Venezuela," Santos said.

April 29

Colombia's Santos says that he would "never fire at Venezuela"
Former Defense Minister and Colombian presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos said late on April 28 that he would "never" fire at Venezuela or Ecuador, and asked the presidents of those countries to respect presidential elections in Colombia.

"We will never fire at Venezuela or Ecuador," Santos said from a podium at a rally in the capital of the Colombian department of Huila.

"We are a people who want to have good relations with our Venezuelan and Ecuadorian brothers."

Meanwhile, Gustavo Petro, the presidential candidate of the Alternative Democratic Pole and former head of M19, a demobilized guerrilla group, requested President Hugo Chávez to respect the Colombian leftwing. The Venezuelan ruler described Colombian leftwing parties as "cowardly," amidst the election campaign.

"Chávez has insulted the Colombian leftwing parties and other candidates. I can tell him that he has no authority to attack a leftwing movement that has managed to draft a democratic Constitution," Petro said, as reported by AFP.

The candidate reacted to Chávez's recent statements describing as "cowardly" the Colombian leftwing parties.

April 30

US urges Chávez "not to interfere" with Colombian elections
"It is very important not to meddle in the domestic affairs of other countries. It is not our concern to support one candidate or another. This is a decision that voters will have to take in each country. We respect the sovereign decision of the population," said the US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela, referring to comments made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

Chávez has repeatedly said that it would be "very difficult" to mend relations with Colombia if the candidate of the ruling Social National Unity Party, Juan Manuel Santos, is elected. The Venezuelan ruler has said that Santos poses a danger for the region, reported Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.

Chávez has also questioned leftwing candidate Gustavo Petro, for his views on the Bolivarian Revolution.

As a sort of mea culpa, Valenzuela said that if in the past the United States has been involved in electoral processes of other countries, this was "a mistake."

Valenzuela stressed that "it is not the policy of President Obama."

The US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs made these statements via teleconference, before a trip to Central America that will start on May 2. Valenzuela will visit Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama.