Colombia, Spain expectant after Chavez freezes ties (2nd Roundup)

Nov 26, 2007, 22:33 GMT

Caracas/Bogota/Madrid/Paris - One day after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he had 'frozen' diplomatic relations with Colombia and Spain, the countries were Monday awaiting word about what the statement would mean.

Colombian Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo declined to comment on the diplomatic crisis between the two nations Monday as Bogota.

Chavez announced Sunday he was 'freezing' relations with Colombia, and continued to strongly criticize Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for relieving him of his mediating role in hostage talks with Colombian rebels.

Chavez also called Uribe a 'liar and cynic.' Uribe responded in Bogota that Chavez wanted to set the Latin American continent 'on fire' to push through his 'expansionist' policies.

Chavez had been negotiating a prisoner swap with the leftist Colombian guerilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), but was stripped of his duties after speaking directly with the head of Colombia's military - something that had been expressly forbidden by Uribe.

Uribe held nothing back in his response to Chavez's move.

'Your behaviour gives the impression that you do not care about peace in Colombia, and you would rather make Colombia a victim of a terrorist FARC government,' Uribe told Chavez.

Trinidad Jimenez, the Spanish secretary of state for Latin America, said Monday that Madrid was waiting to know 'exactly' what Chavez's move to freeze relations means, but noted there was no immediate indication that it would change diplomatic or economic ties between the two countries.

Chavez said Sunday relations with Spain would be on hold until King Juan Carlos apologized for telling him to 'shut up' at an Iberian-American summit in Chile earlier this month. Juan Carlos' comments came after Chavez called former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar a 'fascist.'

Since that incident, the Spanish government has avoided confrontations with Chavez, despite the Venezuelan's persistent comments on the matter.

Venezuelan Ambassador Alfredo Toro then met with Jimenez, at the Spanish official's request, and said bilateral relations 'have a common future beyond ups and downs.'

Jimenez had already said before the meeting that she expected no changes in diplomatic and economic relations.

Spanish analysts suspect that Chavez's attacks are intended for the public within Venezuela, ahead of Sunday's referendum on changes to the country's Constitution.

The French Foreign Ministry denied reports that it had offered 'diplomatic assylum' to opposition Senator Piedad Cordoba, who served as a mediator for the swap alongside Chavez.

Several Colombian news outlets reported Monday that the French Embassy in Bogota had offered 'diplomatic assylum' to the senator after the legislator reportedly received death threats. Cordoba - a determined critic of Uribe - had declined the proposal, the reports said.

The French Foreign Ministry said there is no such thing as 'diplomatic assylum', and that political assylum would not be applicable since Cordoba is a citizen of a democratic country.

Araujo said Monday that the Colombian government has launched a round of talks to explain to the international community why Uribe terminated Chavez's mediation last week.