Andean Group
Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe met his Venezuelan counterparts Hugo Chávez on 9 November, before hosting US President George W Bush on 22 November. Uribe appears uniquely adept at remaining on good terms with both leaders, even though both take a keen but very different interest in Colombia.
Settling differences with Chávez
Uribe's meeting with Chávez in the Colombian city of Cartagena came at a time when relations between their two governments were at a low ebb. After a surprisingly upbeat meeting between the two in July of this year, the two governments fell out after Colombian militants killed five Venezuelan
soldiers and a civil engineer working on the Venezuelan side of the border in September. Chávez blamed rightwing paramilitaries, while the
Colombian government still maintains it was the work of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia
(Farc).
Although border security featured heavily in the talks between Uribe and Chávez , there was no sign of the enmity which had tarnished relations previously. The two leaders agreed to improve security in the area, with Chávez promising more ground and air support 'for the fight against crime, drug trafficking, subversion, and paramilitarism which spills over into our territory'. Uribe thanked Chávez for his support, and played down any talk of an arms race between the two countries despite Venezuela's recent purchase of helicopters.
The two leaders also dealt with commercial matters. Further progress was made in talks over a 177km gas pipeline linking the two countries and perhaps going all the way to the Pacific coast to facilitate sales of Venezuelan oil to the Asian market. Uribe and Chávez also discussed ways of increasing trade, which has recovered this year after a disastrous 2003.
Bush reassures
Bush's four-hour visit to Cartagena was not as significant in content as Chávez 's visit, but it was no less
encouraging for Uribe. The US president, re-elected on 2 November, said there would be no change to his policy during his second term and that the US 'will continue to help Colombia prevail in this vital struggle'.
Uribe's success in retaining the support of the US and Venezuela should not be taken lightly. While both countries have a clear interest in being on good terms with Colombia - the US for its war on drugs; Venezuela for both commercial and political reasons - reconciling the two is no easy task given the enmity between Chávez and Bush. The key seems to lie in Uribe's ability to concentrate almost entirely on domestic affairs; where President Lula in Brazil and President Kirchner in Argentina, (not to mention Chávez himself) aspire to lead Latin America, Uribe's immense popularity is founded on his desire to put Colombia first.