By Eliane Portillo

Peruvian Defense Minister Alberto Otarola, and his Colombian counterpart Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon, will meet on Thursday in this capital to review issues related to the struggle against transnational crime, border security and bi-national cooperation.

The two Ministers will give a news conference to announce the achievements in bilateral cooperation.

General Luis Ricardo Howell, chief of the Joint Command of the Peruvian Armed Forces; General Alejandro Navas, commander of the Colombian Military Forces, and top officials from military institutions from the two countries will also attend the meeting.

According to reports, issues related to training, investigation, and industrial and technological development in the defense sector, and the exchange of experiences to counter new threats to international security, will be also analyzed in the talks.

At the end of his stay in Colombia, Otarola will travel to Venezuela to strengthen bilateral collaboration with that country.

By Eliane Portillo

Argentina President Cristina Fernandez will resume Wednesday her duties as head of state following medical treatment that forced her to leave office on January 4th.

Close-related sources confirmed she is to resume her official duties in less than 72 hours, totally recovered from thyroid surgery practiced 20 days earlier.

The media say the President is to meet with her doctor Tuesday and hopes to be declared totally recovered to head Wednesday a ceremony in La Casa Rosada where Vice President Amado Boudou will restitute her powers.

Boudou was the interim president during Fernandez's medical leave at the official summer residence in Chapadmadal, 400 km from Buenos Aires.

On Jan. 4 President Cristina Fernandez was operated on a tumor in her thyroid glands diagnosed in the beginning as a carcinogenic, but the operation was successfully in all respects

 

By Eliane Portillo

In an interview for Majestad FM radio station, Ecuadorian President Correa explained that The Washington Post is, an extreme right-wing paper, and its opinion articles show that, the problem of corruption, lack of ethics and professionalism in the media is not exclusive of this country.

Correa criticized on the lack of ethics and professionalism and of the US newspaper The Washington Post in the wake of a recent editorial on his suit against El Universo newspaper without consulting the parties involved.

By Eliane Portillo

President Dilma Rousseff assured on Monday that Brazil´s development depends on the education, so educational programs are very important and strategic for youths, families and the country.

Rousseff said in her regular radio program on Mondays, Coffee with the President, that she believed that education was the main tool to conquer each people's dreams and also for Brazil to continue growing, distributing incomes and being a land of opportunities for all.

By Eliane Portillo

The work of Bolivian President Evo Morales for the country's Amazon region was highlighted by the director general of the Agency for the Development of macro-regions (Ademaf), Juan Ramon Quintana.

The Ademaf director also highlighted the works promoted by Morales, the development plans for the Amazon region and the impact o those people, forgotten for so long.

By Eliane Portillo

President Rafael Correa said that Ecuador is experiencing a period of institutional consolidation of democracy and denied that the country is completely polarized between supporters and opponents of the government.

Those who do not agree with the government are certain media and economic powers, said Correa in an interview with the newspaper El Comercio, and he recalled that before they never spoke of polarization.

By Eliane Portillo

The Council of the South Common Market (Mercosur), being held in preparation for the 42nd Presidential Summit of the Bloc, began its debates in Montevideo, presided over by Luis Almagro, Uruguayan Foreign Affairs Minister.

That organization began the closed-door working session at the headquarters of the group in this capital. MERCOSUR was founded in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

This Monday activities included a private working meeting among economy and finance ministers and Central Banks presidents as well as the closing ceremony of the Social Summit that began on Sunday.

The foreign ministry noted that 233 local and international journalists have been accredited for the forum, in which the hosts will hand over the temporary presidency, which rotates every six months, to Uruguay.

The meeting will consider fast tracking Venezuela's entry to the institution and a Free Trade Treaty between Mercosur and Palestine is expected to be signed.

By Eliane Portillo

The president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) Hugo Chavez appointed Diosdado Cabello as First Vice President, as part of a restructuring process of the leadership of this political organization.

The Head of State announced changes to the party's vice presidency during a telephone contact the day before on the dot of midnight with the Socialist Debate program broadcast by Venezuelan TV.

By Eliane Portillo

The Venezuela-Paraguay Parliamentary Friendship Group was created in the headquarters of the National Assembly in Caracas on Wednesday to strengthen ties between the parliaments of the two nations.

Deputy Carlos Gamarra was appointed to lead the parliamentary group, and he thanked the Assembly for electing him.

Gamarra said that the integration between the two nations will not only be political, but also social, economic and cultural to pave the way for independence and sovereignty in light of the problems caused by the world capitalist crisis.

For his part, Paraguayan Ambassador to Venezuela Augusto Campos highlighted the historic links between the two countries, and called to creation of the parliamentary group a gesture of solidarity between the two peoples.

By Eliane Portillo

The heavy transport associations in Ecuador and Colombia reached a truce agreement in the conflict on the common border, after two months of verbal confrontations, physical attacks and civil disobedience, local media reported on Thursday.

In the nearly 60-day standoff of goods transport by road between Colombia and Ecuador, losses have totaled nearly 50 million USD, and the unions agreed on a two-year truce in both Tulcán (Ecuador) and Ipiales (Colombia).

The president of the Federation of Heavy Transport of Ecuador, Oswaldo Jurado, told the public news, that this is an agreement between the Carchi association and the Ipiales truckers.

Both sectors appointed an oversight committee on compliance with the offers from authorities to execute plans and projects for the benefit of carriers between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the Andean Committee of Land Transport Authority concluded a meeting in Lima, Peru, on Thursday to assess the conflict situation.

 

By Susana Lima

The prosecutor Jorge Flores reported on the anti-drug Bolivian police raid held last Tuesday at the Puerto Suarez and Puerto Quijarro bordering Brazil located 1,100 kilometers east of La Paz, Bolivia, in which 20 homes were raided, 12 vehicles were seized and one person got arrested.

As part of the strong military operation undertaken by Brazil in its border countries, military forces and heavily armed Brazilian police inspected cars and people crossing into Brazil.

By Eliane Portillo

Government representatives of all 33 member countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) are reviewing the working agenda of the foundation meeting of the regional bloc in this capital, scheduled for the weekend.

Called by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, high ranking officials from the CELAC member countries are participating in the meeting, Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Temir Porras confirmed on his own Twitter account.

By Eliane Portillo

The Presidential Commission for Arms, Ammunition Control and Disarmament is ready for the second stage of the national consultations on that issue in six Venezuelan states; it was reported in this capital on Friday.

The stage will be carried out in a few days, including the states of Aragua, Apure, Miranda, Zulia, Bolívar and Carabobo.

By Eliane Portillo

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who officially visits Turkey, criticized on Friday developed countries for the mess of their finances and hold them responsible for the monetary crisis that threatens the world.

Santos recalled that a decade ago the so called first world nations enjoined the Latin American discipline on tax issues, while they were unable to be consistent with their own words.

By Eliane Portillo

The National Union of Construction and Allied Trades (Sunca) of Uruguay on Wednesday called a 24-hour strike for Thursday to protest against a workplace accident that killed one worker.

Leonardo Retamar, 33, died on Tuesday when he was painting the facade of a building in Maldonado neighbourhood and the scaffolding where he was working fell down, the website Montevideo.com reported.

By Fernando Olivarez: Ex IMF Economist

Ecuador should repeal insult laws (desacato) and all norms that criminalize defamation of public officials and institutions, Human Rights Watch said on November 14.

Human Rights Watch submitted a joint amicus brief (Spanish) with the Center for Freedom of Expression and Information of the University of Palermo (Argentina) before the Constitutional Court of Ecuador, arguing that desacato norms violate Ecuador’s international human rights obligations.

By Eliane Portillo

President Juan Manuel Santos reaffirmed on Wednesday that military blows at the insurgency will continue, in spite of calls made by the guerrilla to find a political solution to the internal armed conflict.

After the appointment of Timoleon Jimenez, alias Timochenko, as new Commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was made public recently, Santos said the order was to subdue him.