President Hugo Chávez has temporarily suspended relations with the neighboring country of Colombia. "I feel obliged for dignity's sake to suspend relations with the government of Colombia. It is the least we can do, and we will remain alert, as [President Álvaro] Uribe is a sick man, filled with hate," said Chávez during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace with the coach of the Argentinian national football team, Diego Maradona , whom he was meeting during Maradona's visit to Venezuela. "We have sent a message to the Colombian trade delegation in Caracas telling them to close their embassy and vacate the country," Venezuela's Foreign Minister, Nicolás Maduro , informed the media. In an extraordinary session at the headquarters of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC, the Colombian ambassador, Luis Alfonso Hoyos, declared that Chávez's government was "harbouring FARC guerrillas" on Venezuelan territory and requested the formation of an international committee of inquiry to verify FARC's presence in Venezuela within 30 days. "I don't believe that cutting relations is the right way to go [to resolve this problem]," said Philip Crowley, spokesperson for the US State Department . The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza , also asked both sides to "calm their passions."
President has temporarily suspended relations with the neighboring country of Colombia. "I feel obliged for dignity's sake to suspend relations with the government of Colombia. It is the least we can do, and we will remain alert, as [President Álvaro] is a sick man, filled with hate," said Chávez during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace with the coach of the Argentinian national football team, , whom he was meeting during Maradona's visit to Venezuela. "We have sent a message to the Colombian trade delegation in Caracas telling them to close their embassy and vacate the country," Venezuela's Foreign Minister, , informed the media. In an extraordinary session at the headquarters of the (OAS) in Washington, DC, the Colombian ambassador, Luis Alfonso Hoyos, declared that Chávez's government was "harbouring guerrillas" on Venezuelan territory and requested the formation of an international committee of inquiry to verify FARC's presence in Venezuela within 30 days. "I don't believe that cutting relations is the right way to go [to resolve this problem]," said Philip Crowley, spokesperson for the . The Secretary General of the OAS, , also asked both sides to "calm their passions."
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Hugo Chávez
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Uribe
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Diego Maradona
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Nicolás Maduro
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Organisation of American States
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FARC
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US State Department
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José Miguel Insulza