'Allow me, Calamar compatriots, to change the subject of the topic that concerns us, to give a few thoughts on President Chavez' declaration.
President Chavez, the truth, as witnessed, is that I allowed you to negotiate with FARC, as you requested. I allowed you to meet with FARC, as you requested. I allowed you to meet with ELN. (note: ELN is a lesser known rebel group than FARC). I allowed that Rodgrigo Granda to be moved from Cuba to Venezuela. (Rodrigo Granda is the leader and main spokesperson for the most powerful revolutionary guerrilla group in Latin America, FARC).
And as in so many previous instances, FARC continued to lie and not comply.
The truth, President Chavez, and the witnessed truth, is that when there are no arguments left, and one resorts to insults, as you do, it not only affects international relations, but in this case, you, with your insults and lack of arguments, hurt the dignity of the very people of Venezuela that you represent.
The truth, President Chavez, is that we need to mediate against terrorism rather than mediate with those who legitimize terrorism. Your words, your behavior, give the impression that you are not interested in peace for Colombia, but rather that Colombia fall victim to a FARC led terrorist government.
The truth, President Chavez, and the witnessed truth, such as our truth, is that we need you to help us overcome the tragedy of terrorism, rather than to take advantage of the need for a humanitarian agreement to ask for Colombia's help, so that you can come to Colombia to interfere, and foment an expansionist project.
The truth, President Chavez, is that if you are fomenting an expansionist project in the Continent (read: the Latin American Continent), this project has no way into Colombia.
The truth, President Chavez, and the witnessed truth, is that you cannot inflame the Continent (here Uribe is taking about both North and South America), as you are doing, speaking against Spain on one day, and the United States on the next; mistreating Mexico one day, and Peru on the next, in the morning from Bolivia. You cannot mistreat the Continent, inflame it, as you are doing, talking about imperialists, when you, based on your wealth, want to build an empire.
The truth, President Chavez, is that you cannot distort history, you cannot stain the memory of our heroes, disfiguring them in modern demagoguery, in order to disorient people. General Santander gave us the example of our ties to the rule of law. The truth, President Chavez, is that you cannot mock the law, as you are doing, trying to mistreat General Santander, in order to substitute law for personal whims.
The truth, President Chavez, and the witnessed truth, is that you cannot disorient people by misinterpreting the legacy of Bolivar, the liberator. The Liberator was an pro-integration, but not pro-expansion. The Liberator gave our nations independence, but did not bring them a new era of submission. The Liberator did not go around trying to chase European domination from the American territory, in order to impose, as you wish to do, your very own designs, based on the power of your wealth, to the people of Venezuela and the people of Colombia.
The truth, President Chavez, is that the people of Colombia have every right to derail terrorism, have every right to accept mediation, but not those that that seek political protagonism, and the political engendering of terrorism.
I am very worried that you, buoyed by electoral pretensions, are trying to use the old trick of stimulating hate of Colombia in Venezuela, and against the government of Colombia, in order to gain electoral favors.
The truth, President Chavez, is that my government's precedence is showing that in our difficult fight against terrorism, we have been respectful of all the world's nations and governments.
I am calling for reflection, to the conscience of the people of Venezuela in order to examine this subject. While a government is not capable to condemn FARC, if it unjustly condemns the Colombian government, and the contradiction is that the Colombian government, faced with terrorists, never lacked respect for Venezuela's government, nor for the people of Venezuela.
The truth, President Chavez, is that yesterday's communique is backed by our precedence, by our actions and has witnesses. The truth, President Chavez, is that every moment brings new data. Our U.S. Consulate representative, that accompanied Senator Cordoba to a meeting with one of the FARC prisoners, who is in jail in the U.S. for drug trafficking, informed us that Senator Cordoba spoke with the prisoner about FARC's policies, and that's fine. {She spoke }..about the possibility of a constituency in Colombia, and that's fine. All of this is respectable, and thus we don't agree. But the Senator also spoke of the need for a transitional government in Colombia.
The truth, President Chavez, is that this does not give Colombians the right to interpret that during mediation, to which you invited Senator Cordoba, in agreement with the Senator's attitudes and with these comments, this mediation was more interested in facilitating a government with terrorist influence in Colombia, rather than trying to help us overcome the tragedy of those who are captive, and achieve peace.
From Calamar, this region of the motherland, that today has been so stricken by floods, I say to the world that we are asking for and are receiving help, but we do not accept expansionist projects. From Calamar, this region stricken today by floods, I am telling the world that there is poverty here, limitations here, but there is dignity.
Money can be gotten every day, though in some countries, it might be more scarce than in others. But dignity, the respect for social beings, the respect for individual liberties, - when these values are lost, it is difficult to get them back.
We will continue making every effort to derail terrorism, in order to get our hostages, but we will not allow that our tragedy be abused in order to approve terrorism. We will not allow that our tragedy be taken advantage of in order to come to Colombia to introduce an expansionist project that, little by little, will deny rights that this Continent has succeeded in establishing with so much difficulty. '
The Presidency.
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