Colombia Praises Venezuela's Role in FARC Peace Process
Colombia's chief negotiator in peace talks with the country's largest leftist rebel group on Friday praised Venezuela's role in the process after Caracas threatened to pull out over a diplomatic spat.
"The role of Venezuela has been very important in the dialogue and we do not want this to be interrupted," Humberto de la Calle told Radio Caracol.
"We want to certify that Venezuela has in fact been very useful, as has President (Nicolas) Maduro."
Venezuela is a facilitator of talks between the FARC -- the country's largest leftist guerrilla group -- and the government of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
But on Thursday, Maduro said he was putting relations with Bogota under review after Santos met with opposition leader Henrique Capriles, calling it a stab in the back.
A photograph of Santos and Capriles shaking hands triggered a swift and angry reaction along with an announcement that Caracas was recalling its delegate to the talks.
Capriles, who narrowly lost April 14 elections to replace the late Hugo Chavez, has accused Maduro of stealing the elections.
Maduro late Thursday accused Santos of playing into the hands of a right-wing conspiracy to destabilize the Venezuelan government.
"I doubt President Santos' sincerity when he sticks a dagger in Venezuela's back and allows himself to be used to clean the face of a conspiracy against Venezuela," he said.
Venezuela and Colombia had tense relations during much of Chavez's 14 years in power, but Santos has worked to improve them despite ideological differences with the leftist government in Caracas.
Venezuela has reciprocated by encouraging the FARC, Colombia's largest guerrilla group with 8,000 fighters, to enter into peace negotiations.
The first peace negotiations in a decade opened in November in Havana between the government and the rebel group. Currently in recess, they are set to resume June 11.
Separately Friday, a soldier was killed and three others wounded during a clash between FARC guerillas and government troops in southwestern Colombia, an army official told Agence France Presse.
A military official said the injured have been treated and are out of danger in the wake of the incident in the municipality of Caloto in the department of Cauca.