BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia will ask the United Nations to designate a special envoy to coordinate humanitarian aid for the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants flooding into countries around the region, the foreign minister said on Friday.

More than a million people have arrived in Colombia from Venezuela over the last year and a half, fleeing a severe economic and political crisis in the socialist country that has caused food and medicine shortages.

“We are going to insist on the strengthening of an emergency humanitarian fund and we are going to propose the creation of a special envoy under the United Nations who can coordinate the multilateral actions that are required because of the humanitarian crisis we are living,” foreign minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo, who took office on Tuesday, told journalists.

Colombia has spent millions on aid for Venezuelan migrants, including food, shelter and medical care. Many arrive with only what they can carry and are often underfed.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Wednesday announced an additional $9 million in aid to Colombia to help with the crisis, during a visit to the border city of Cucuta.

Trujillo said he had not yet received a formal extradition request from Venezuela for six people it has accused of involvement in the explosion of drones at a military event last week and who are believed to be in Colombia. Venezuela’s government has said the incident was a failed assassination attempt.

“I don’t like to talk about hypotheses - we’ll see. ... I’ve been told the request for extradition has not formally arrived, if it’s going to arrive,” the minister said. “If it arrives, we will review it.”

Trujillo reiterated that Colombia would withdraw from the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), created a decade ago in an attempt to counterbalance U.S. influence in Latin America, in tandem with several other nations. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru have already indefinitely suspended their participation in the body.

“We’re consulting with other countries which apparently want to take the same route. If we consolidate a similar decision from these consultations, we’ll act in conjunction. If not, we’ll withdraw anyway.” </s> During the daily press briefing of the European Commission, a spokesperson for head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini said: “We must avoid military intervention." The spokesperson added the European Union wants a “peaceful and democratic solution in Venezuela, which obviously excludes the use of force”. This follows a warning from Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell on Sunday, who insisted military intervention would not be welcomed.

He told the Efe Agency: “We categorically ruled out any support from the European Union or any acceptance of a military escalation in Venezuela. “We have warned clearly that we will not support and that we will strongly condemn any foreign military intervention.” This was a stance echoed by Brazil, which warned under no circumstances will it allow the United States to use its territory for a military operation into Venezuela. Brazilian Vice President Antonio Hamilton Mourao said the Lima Group, a bloc of nations from Argentina to Canada dedicated to a peaceful resolution of the Venezuela crisis, does not support military intervention.

He believes “it is necessary to look for other ways to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuela”. Speaking to reporters during a meeting with the group in the Colombian capital Bogotá, Mr Mourao said: "No one in the Lima Group supports a military solution to the situation in Venezuela. "This requires the authorisation of the National Congress. The Brazilian government cannot do that without consultations with the Parliament. “The majority in the Government is against the use of Brazil’s territory by American troops.” On Sunday, violent clashes broke out on Venezuela’s border with Brazil in a row over foreign aid heading for the crisis-striken country, resulting in three people being shot dead and a further 300 injured.

Brazil branded violence used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government to block aid a “criminal act” and called on countries to join efforts to “liberate” the South American nation. Troops loyal to President Maduro had rejected supplies from Colombia on Saturday, using tear gas and rubber bullets to keep protestors at bay. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who most Western nations recognise as the country’s legitimate leader, said he would propose to the international community that all options remain open to oust President Maduro. He wrote on Twitter: "Today's events force me to make a decision: To formally propose to the International Community that we must have all options open to secure the freedom of our country, which fights and will keep fighting.” The US has imposed new sanctions on Mr Maduo and his Government, and called on allies to freeze the assets of its state-owned oil company PDVSA following the deadly violence at the weekend. </s> GENEVA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Colombia called on Wednesday for action to end Venezuela's humanitarian crisis and bring about a political transition leading to free elections.

Francisco Barbosa Delgado, human rights counsellor to Colombian President Ivan Duque, was addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council hours in Geneva before Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza was due to take the floor.

Some European and Latin American ambassadors were expected to boycott Arreaza's speech, as more countries back opposition leader Juan Guaido and spurn President Nicolas Maduro, diplomats said.

"Action and solidarity should be based on full rejection of dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela," Barbosa told the meeting.

"Last weekend, the world saw directly that the terror regime, whose main characteristic is violation of human rights, burned food and medicine being sent to hungry, famished people in Venezuela," he said.

Guaido, recognised by most Western nations as Venezuela's legitimate leader, slipped into neighbouring Colombia last week to lead an abortive effort to bring in humanitarian aid. He is expected to slip back across the border in coming days. "In the face of such situations, we cannot remain silent," Barbosa said.

"What is needed are actions that promote transition and the holding of free, transparent elections with international monitoring in order to guarantee as soon as possible the establishment of democracy in Venezuela."

Maduro denies that there is a crisis, despite overseeing a hyperinflationary economic meltdown that has spawned widespread food and medicine shortages. </s> GENEVA (Reuters) - Colombia called on Wednesday for action to end Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and bring about a political transition leading to free elections.

Francisco Barbosa Delgado, human rights counselor to Colombian President Ivan Duque, was addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council hours in Geneva before Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza was due to take the floor.

Some European and Latin American ambassadors were expected to boycott Arreaza’s speech, as more countries back opposition leader Juan Guaido and spurn President Nicolas Maduro, diplomats said.

“Action and solidarity should be based on full rejection of dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela,” Barbosa told the meeting.

“Last weekend, the world saw directly that the terror regime, whose main characteristic is violation of human rights, burned food and medicine being sent to hungry, famished people in Venezuela,” he said.

Guaido, recognized by most Western nations as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, slipped into neighboring Colombia last week to lead an abortive effort to bring in humanitarian aid. He is expected to slip back across the border in coming days.

“In the face of such situations, we cannot remain silent,” Barbosa said.

“What is needed are actions that promote transition and the holding of free, transparent elections with international monitoring in order to guarantee as soon as possible the establishment of democracy in Venezuela.”

Maduro denies that there is a crisis, despite overseeing a hyperinflationary economic meltdown that has spawned widespread food and medicine shortages. </s> Colombia’s new government said it would review former President Juan Manuel Santos’ recognition of Palestine after the previously unreleased decision was made public on Wednesday.

President Ivan Duque took office on Tuesday and was informed a few days ago of Santos’ decision, which was detailed in an 3 August letter to the Palestinian representative in Colombia, the foreign ministry said.

“Given possible omissions that could come to light about the way in which this decision was taken by the outgoing president, the government will cautiously examine its implications and will act according to international law,” new Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes said in a statement.

Santos decided to recognize Palestine as a “free, independent and sovereign state,” according to the letter, which was circulated to reporters by the foreign ministry.

“Just as the Palestinian people have a right to constitute an independent state, Israel has a right to live in peace alongside its neighbors,” the letter said.

The Israeli embassy in Bogota said it was surprised and disappointed.

“We ask the Colombian government to reverse the decision made by the previous administration in its last days, which contravenes the close relations, extensive cooperation in vital areas and interests of both countries,” it said in a statement posted to its Twitter account.

The decision came to light during a visit to Colombia by United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. She attended Duque’s inauguration on Tuesday and on Wednesday visited Venezuelan migrants in the northern border city of Cucuta.

The United States, a close ally of Israel, was getting more information about the situation and had no immediate comment, the US mission to the United Nations said.

“We thank the Colombian government for this decision and we are sure that it will contribute significantly to generating the necessary conditions in the search for peace in the Middle East,” the Palestine representative said in a statement on Wednesday.

Palestine has been recognized as a sovereign state by the U.N. General Assembly, the International Criminal Court and at least 136 countries.

Palestine seeks to create a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, lands that Israel captured in the 1967 war.

Colombia abstained in December from a vote by the 193-member UN General Assembly on a resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. US President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor. </s> On an international scale, here is what generosity looks like – and what it can potentially do.

Just before he stepped down as Colombia’s president on Aug. 7, Juan Manuel Santos granted temporary residency permits to 440,000 refugees from Venezuela, doubling the number given in recent years. It was an act of solidarity with innocent people fleeing starvation, violence, and hyperinflation in their country. Since 2015, Colombia has been the largest receiver of Venezuelan refugees – more than 1 million.

The move sparked Mark Green, the head of foreign aid for the United States, to tweet: “The world owes Colombia a debt of gratitude for welcoming Venezuelans fleeing [the] Maduro regime.” Similar statements have come from United Nations officials. A few days later, the US, which itself is the largest humanitarian donor to the refugee crisis, decided to send a Navy hospital ship to Colombia to provide medical aid to the Venezuelans.

Yet the biggest impact of Colombia’s open-arms policy may be in Venezuela, where an estimated 7 to 12 percent of the population has so far left the country, a migration approaching the flows in Syria.

Perhaps embarrassed that neighboring Colombia was widening its welcome mat, President Nicolás Maduro announced Aug. 17 that he would try to solve the country’s economic crisis. He introduced a new currency that knocked five zeros off the value of the old one, hoping to curb an annual inflation rate estimated at 1 million percent. And he also promised to raise the minimum wage – by 34 times.

Venezuela used to be Latin America’s richest country. It also holds the world’s largest known petroleum reserves. Yet years of mismanagement, corruption, and clampdowns on dissent have left it a failed state. The country’s decline, especially in its democracy, really began to impact its neighbors this year with the flow of refugees. “The capacity of the region is overwhelmed,” says one UN official. Ecuador and Peru have started to restrict the entry of Venezuelans. Last week, Brazil sent its military to the border to quell local violence against the refugees.

Colombia’s generous response could be a result of the lessons it learned during its own crisis. During a half-century of civil war that ended in 2016, millions of Colombians were displaced. Part of the peace process includes generous compensation to the war’s victims. Helping Venezuelans may now seem like a natural extension of the compassion shown to its own people.

Efforts to help the refugees can be one way to encourage stronger international action toward restoring democracy in Venezuela. In particular, Colombia’s generosity will create hope for Venezuelans that they are not alone. It lays a moral groundwork for an eventual solution to the biggest crisis in Latin America. </s> The United States on Wednesday announced nearly $9 million in aid to help those fleeing the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, days after Venezuela's president said the United States was home to financiers of what he has called an attempt on his life.

The United States' ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, made the announcement during a visit to Colombia's border with Venezuela, which Venezuelans have for months crossed in search of food, work and health care.

The funding will help Colombia address the influx of Venezuelans pouring across the border, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development. The U.S. has pledged more than $46 million in humanitarian aid in response to the crisis, USAID said.

Colombia said last month that over 870,000 Venezuelans were living in Colombia, and many of the several hundred thousand more who have Colombian origins are believed to be moving there, according to the Associated Press.

Haley on Wednesday visited Cúcuta, Colombia, a major crossing point for fleeing Venezuelans. On Tuesday, she attended the inauguration of Colombian President Ivan Duque.

The announcement came days after what Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called an attempted assassination while he was speaking in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Maduro has said that opposition leaders were connected to Saturday's alleged attack, which involved exploding drones, and he has said some suspects reside in the Untied States and Colombia.

"I want to explain to the government of the United States and the government of Colombia in detail all the evidence that leads us to accomplices and direct responsible living in the state of Florida," Maduro said, according to the Associated Press. "I trust in the good faith of Donald Trump."

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday denied that the U.S. was involved in the incident. </s> Colombia's new government said it would review former President Juan Manuel Santos' recognition of Palestine after the previously unreleased decision was made public on Wednesday.

BOGOTA: Colombia's new government said it would review former President Juan Manuel Santos' recognition of Palestine after the previously unreleased decision was made public on Wednesday.

President Ivan Duque took office on Tuesday and was informed a few days ago of Santos' decision, which was detailed in an Aug. 3 letter to the Palestinian representative in Colombia, the foreign ministry said.

"Given possible omissions that could come to light about the way in which this decision was taken by the outgoing president, the government will cautiously examine its implications and will act according to international law," new Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes said in a statement.

Santos decided to recognise Palestine as a "free, independent and sovereign state," according to the letter, which was circulated to reporters by the foreign ministry.

"Just as the Palestinian people have a right to constitute an independent state, Israel has a right to live in peace alongside its neighbours," the letter said.

The decision came to light during a visit to Colombia by United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. She attended Duque's inauguration on Tuesday and on Wednesday visited Venezuelan migrants in the northern border city of Cucuta.

The United States, a close ally of Israel, was getting more information about the situation and had no immediate comment, the U.S. mission to the United Nations said.

"We thank the Colombian government for this decision and we are sure that it will contribute significantly to generating the necessary conditions in the search for peace in the Middle East," the Palestine representative said in a statement on Wednesday.

Palestine has been recognised as a sovereign state by the U.N. General Assembly, the International Criminal Court and at least 136 countries.

Palestine seeks to create a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, lands that Israel captured in the 1967 war.

Colombia abstained in December from a vote by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on a resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to a peace deal between Israel and Palestine, who were furious over Trump's move. The international community does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the full city. </s> BOGOTA – Colombia’s new government said it would review former President Juan Manuel Santos’ recognition of Palestine after the previously unreleased decision was made public on Wednesday.

President Ivan Duque took office on Tuesday and was informed a few days ago of Santos’ decision, which was detailed in an Aug. 3 letter to the Palestinian representative in Colombia, the foreign ministry said.

“Given possible omissions that could come to light about the way in which this decision was taken by the outgoing president, the government will cautiously examine its implications and will act according to international law,” new Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes said in a statement.

“Just as the Palestinian people have a right to constitute an independent state, Israel has a right to live in peace alongside its neighbors,” the letter said.

The Israeli embassy in Bogota said it was surprised and disappointed.

“We ask the Colombian government to reverse the decision made by the previous administration in its last days, which contravenes the close relations, extensive cooperation in vital areas and interests of both countries,” it said in a statement posted to its Twitter account.

The decision came to light during a visit to Colombia by United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. She attended Duque’s inauguration on Tuesday and on Wednesday visited Venezuelan migrants in the northern border city of Cucuta.

The United States, a close ally of Israel, was getting more information about the situation and had no immediate comment, the U.S. mission to the United Nations said.

“We thank the Colombian government for this decision and we are sure that it will contribute significantly to generating the necessary conditions in the search for peace in the Middle East,” the Palestine representative said in a statement on Wednesday.

As of 3 August 2018, 137 of the 193 member states of the United Nations and two non-member states have recognized the State of Palestine. Many of the countries that do not recognize the State of Palestine nevertheless recognize the PLO as the “representative of the Palestinian people“. On 29 November 2012, the UN General Assembly passed a motion changing Palestine’s “entity” status to “non-member observer state” by a vote of 138 to 9, with 41 abstentions

Palestine seeks to create a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, lands that Israel captured in the 1967 war.

Colombia abstained in December from a vote by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on a resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor.
Colombia asks for intervention from the United Nations to help end the crisis.