Maduro warns Unasur against Colombia's intention to join NATO.

Leandra Felipe
Correspondent for Agência Brasil/EBC
Bogotá - Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced today (3) that he will request an emergency meeting of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) Defense Council to discuss Colombia's intention to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Maduro said that Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is sending “a negative signal to the region.” “We deeply regret that the Colombian government has done this,” he declared during an appearance on Venezuelan public television.

According to him, Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, agrees with the proposal to convene a UNASUR meeting to assess the threat that a possible Colombian participation in NATO would represent "for peace and stability in the region."

Last Saturday (1st), Santos announced that a cooperation agreement will be signed with the organization this month, even though no request from the Colombian government for the country to become a permanent member of NATO has been accepted.

Maduro described Colombia's request as a "threat" and a "truly aberrant idea." "The Colombian government needs to reflect on this," he declared.

This is the second controversial episode involving the governments of Colombia and Venezuela in the last ten days. Last week, Maduro said he had lost confidence in the government of Juan Manuel Santos because the Colombian president received the Venezuelan opposition leader, Governor Henrique Capriles.

According to the Venezuelan, Colombia would be participating in plans to destabilize Venezuela. Last Friday (31), Santos declared that it had been a misunderstanding and that he would never be part of any plan with this purpose.

With information from the state-owned Telesur network.