Tensions are flaring down south. Roger Noriega describes the scene:
In a private luncheon at a regional summit in Cancún yesterday, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe took his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez to task for imposing a de facto embargo on Colombian trade and investment. The Venezuelan dictatorâ??who is known for his own bombastic declarations and wild accusations against Colombiaâ??took offense when Uribe compared Chávezâ??s hostile treatment of Colombia with the embargo on Cuba. Chávez accused Uribe of dispatching assassins to kill him, and he threatened to storm out of the summit. According to diplomats who witnessed the event, Uribe then shouted at Chávez, â??Be a man! Youâ??re brave at a distance, but a coward face-to-face.â? The Venezuelan responded by telling Uribe, â??Vete al carajo!â? the most polite translation of which is, â??Go to hell!â?
Ironically, this confrontation came at a summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders intended to launch a â??regional mechanismâ? that might serve as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS). Apparently, Latin and Caribbean diplomats think that a new forumâ??minus the United States and Canadaâ??might advance their common interests more effectively. However, it is clear from the showdown in Cancún that Chávez is the problem.
(AP Photo)
