Brazil Backs OAS Probe, Apology In Colombia-Ecuador Conflict
Monday March 3rd, 2008 / 23h33
BRASILIA -(Dow Jones)- Brazil will back an investigative probe by the Organization of American States and a reinforced apology from Colombia as steps to help resolve that nation's tensions with neighboring Ecuador over a weekend dispute, Brazilian Foreign Relations Minister Celso Amorim said Monday. Amorim said Brazil supported the creation of an investigative committee by the OAS to clarify the circumstances surrounding Colombia's weekend violation of Ecuadorian territory to hunt down and kill leading members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. "The OAS is an appropriate forum for resolving the dispute as no other similar organization exists in the region to deal with this type of matter," said Amorim, who returned early from a diplomatic mission to Asia to deal with the issue. Colombia's military reportedly crossed one mile into Ecuadorian territory Saturday to kill 17 FARC members, including second-ranking FARC official, Raul Reyes. The 34-member OAS has called a special meeting Tuesday regarding the incident. Following the action Saturday, Colombian officials alleged that high-ranking members of the Ecuadorian and Venezuelan government were giving cover and assistance to the Colombian rebels. Amorim Monday said Brazil "condemns any territorial violations," but acknowledged that the circumstances of how the conflict arose weren't clear. Still, he said that it was up to Colombia to provide greater justification for its actions. "The onus of demonstrating mitigating circumstances falls upon those who practiced the invasion," he said. In the meantime, he said, an apology from Colombia for the military incursion would be helpful to diminish tensions. "I think a more explicit apology and a guarantee that this won't happen again would be desirable," Amorim said. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe issued an apology following the incident. However, it stopped short of absolving Ecuador for any responsibility in the matter. In reaction to the Colombian cross-border incursion, both Ecuador and Venezuela recalled their ambassadors from Bogota and dispatched military regiments to their Colombian borders. Despite those actions, Brazil's Amorim said Monday he didn't believe any military conflict between neighboring nations in the region was imminent. "It's very unlikely there will be an armed conflict," he said. "Ecuador only moved its troops to the border as a defensive maneuver." Also Monday, Amorim declined to take any position regarding Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's role in the dispute. "At the moment, we're focused on resolving the conflict," he said. "Other questions will be dealt with later." -By Gerald Jeffris, Dow Jones Newswires; (5561) 3335-0832, geraldjeffris@dowjones.com
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