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Colombian
Crisis
·
On March 6,
2008
Nicaragua
President
Daniel
Ortega
announced to
breake off
diplomatic
relations
with
Colombia,
move came
amid a
growing
crisis over
a Colombian
raid into
Ecuador to
kill leftist
Farc rebels.
Venezuela
and Ecuador
have already
done so
·
Senior
Colombian
Farc rebel
leader Raul
Reyes was
killed along
with at
least 16
other people
at a jungle
camp just
inside
Ecuador's
border.
·
Venezuela
says 9,000
soldiers
have been
moved to the
border with
Colombia,
while
Ecuador says
3,200 of its
forces have
been
deployed.
·
Latin
American
leaders have
urged calm
and US
Secretary of
State
Condoleezza
Rice has
called for a
"diplomatic
resolution"
to the
crisis.
·
Colombia has
apologised
to Ecuador
but said the
raid was
necessary.
·
An
opportunity
for talks
could arise
in the
Dominican
Republic,
where
regional
leaders are
gathering
for a
meeting of
the Rio
Group.
·
The
Organisation
of American
States (OAS)
on March 5
unanimously
approved a
resolution
saying that
Colombia had
violated the
"principles
of
international
law" by
crossing
into
Ecuador, but
stopped
short of an
outright
condemnation.
·
The
34 OAS
member
states
agreed to
set up a
commission
of inquiry
led by OAS
head Jose
Miguel
Insulza to
investigate
the
incursion
and
scheduled a
meeting of
OAS foreign
ministers
for 17
March.
·
Colombia has
waged a
four-decade
conflict
with Farc
rebels who
finance
themselves
through the
cocaine
trade and
by
kidnapping
hostages for
ransom or
political
gain.
·
Hugo Chavez
is
Venezuelan
President
·
Alvaro Uribe
is Colombian
President
·
Rafael
Correa is
Ecuadorean
President
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