Cuba says Venezuela's spat with Colombia could hurt peace talks

Cuba says Venezuela's spat with Colombia could hurt peace talks
HAVANA | Sun Jun 2, 2013 5:57am BST

(Reuters) - Cuba expressed support on Saturday for its ally Venezuela in
a row with Colombia, which Havana suggested could hurt peace talks it
has been hosting to end Colombia's long war with leftist rebels.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez declared in a statement Cuba's
"unvarying position of solidarity with Venezuela and of recognition of
the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro."

Henrique Capriles, who was narrowly defeated by Maduro in Venezuela's
April election met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in Bogota
on Tuesday, provoking an angry accusation by Maduro that Santos was
plotting against him.

Capriles visited Colombia as part of a planned tour through Latin
American countries to make his case that Maduro's election victory was
fraudulent.

In response, Maduro withdrew Venezuela's envoy to the peace talks being
held in Havana to end half a century of conflict between the Colombian
government and the Marxist-led FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia.

Rodriguez accused Capriles of working with power groups in the United
States to destabilize Venezuela.

"These actions and any direct or indirect help hurt the unity of Latin
America and the Caribbean, diminish independence and hurt the efforts of
Venezuela and other states in favour of peace," he said.

Colombia's lead negotiator in Havana, Humberto de la Calle, said on
Friday he hoped the neighbouring South American countries could quickly
patch up relations because "the role played by Venezuela has been very
important to the talks, very important."

Cuba and Norway are guaranteeing the talks, which began in November,
while Venezuela and Chile have had representatives assisting the process.

The talks are on a break until June 11 after the announcement of a
landmark agreement on agrarian reform that is a critical step toward a
peace accord.

Venezuela is Cuba's main ally and benefactor and provides the
communist-led island with two-thirds of its daily oil needs in exchange
for the services of more than 40,000 Cubans, most of them doctors and
medical personnel providing health to Venezuela's poor.

(Reporting by Jeff Franks; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/02/uk-cuba-venezuela-colombia-idUKBRE95102J20130602