Since Venezuela is suffering "serious threats" from Colombia, it suggested "to take again" the road to peace with leftist guerrilla groups in Colombia, said Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, before a meeting with his counterparts of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) in the Ecuadorian city of Quito.

Maduro stressed that Venezuela requested to the Pro Tempore presidency of Unasur, which is held by Ecuador, to call an emergency meeting with the foreign ministers of the region "to address the serious threats and attacks that we have received in recent days," from the government of President Álvaro Uribe.

There have been "infamous attacks, manipulations and lies from the outgoing Colombian government against Venezuela's integrity, institutions and President Hugo Chávez," the Venezuelan Foreign Minister told reporters upon his arrival in Quito.