South American leaders have repeated their call for a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis between Colombia and neighboring Ecuador and Venezuela.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday he will meet his Ecuadorian counterpart on the issue to facilitate reconciliation and find a peaceful solution to the crisis.
Tension between Colombia and its two neighbors has been escalating since Saturday when Colombian government forces entered Ecuadorian territory in a raid on Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels.
In protest, Ecuador cut diplomatic ties with Colombia, accusing it of trespassing on its territory, while Venezuela also withdrew its embassy staff from Bogota and sent troops and tanks to its Colombian border.
Earlier on Tuesday, Peru's President Alan Garcia said in Lima that Colombia should apologize to Ecuador, and leaders of the two countries should sit together to find a "just and honorable end tothe crisis." His comments came after a meeting with visiting Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, who is on a six-nation tour torally support for his country.
Garcia also called on regional organizations such as the Organization of American States(OAS), the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and the Rio Group to take concrete steps to defuse the crisis.
Bolivian President Evo Morales, who is also the current president of Unasur, said Tuesday that the body was considering a special session on the crisis.
He said the conflict between the three nations could seriously affect regional security if not properly handled.
Meanwhile, the Andean Parliament (PA) Tuesday called on Ecuadorand Colombia to resolve their differences through negotiations and not damage regional economic integration.
"The two presidents' statements worry us enormously," said PA President Ivonne Bakki.
Bakki said the PA, the legislative branch of the Community of Andean Nations, would propose the creation of an OAS-led commission to investigate the events leading to the current tension.
Bakki said the PA has so far received vastly different reports about the course of events and argued that third party nations should stay out of the conflict.
The crisis has already caused substantial damage to trade between Colombia and Venezuela, local media reported.
Over 30 vehicles carrying some 900 tons of Colombian beef were stranded in the border region as Venezuela closed some of the crossings following the row.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan border cities dependent on Colombian exporters for their staple food are suffering from shortage of grain, meat and dairy products.
Source: Xinhua
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