Colombia and Venezuela Agree on November 12 to Coordinate Border Security: Two Kidnappings Along the 2,219 Kilometre Border, Bogota Seeks a Mayor's Wife and an Army Officer 英文全文： BOGOTA, Colombia — Reuters reported on November 12 that the governments of Colombia and Venezuela said they are willing to coordinate security efforts to combat transnational crime, following two recent high-profile kidnappings along their 2,219-kilometre shared border.
BOGOTA, Colombia — Reuters reported on November 12 that the governments of Colombia and Venezuela said they are willing to coordinate security efforts to combat transnational crime, following two recent high-profile kidnappings along their 2,219-kilometre shared border.
Colombia is seeking Venezuelan help locating the wife of a Colombian mayor and an army officer. Colombia's foreign ministry said it had spoken with Venezuela's government to coordinate efforts to rescue Nancy Gomez, the wife of the mayor of the city of Uribia, in the northern-most department of La Guajira, some 30 kilometres from the Venezuelan border. Colombian authorities believe she was kidnapped on November 11 and taken into Venezuela in an attempt to evade Colombian law enforcement.
Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella deployed military troops to the area to aid with the search for Gomez, and said the ELN armed group was believed to be behind her kidnapping. In the second case, a Colombian army officer was kidnapped by the ELN armed group on November 4 in the town of Saravena, in the border state of Arauca, Colombian authorities said.
Venezuela's government said it is fully willing to carry out all necessary coordination with Colombian authorities on security matters, the Venezuelan foreign ministry said in an earlier statement.Colombian Defense Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora said on November 11 that Colombia had asked the United States to work with Venezuela to help find the kidnapped officer, and said he hoped the transition in Venezuela would bring cooperation. Reuters noted that armed groups have historically operated along the border, where drug trafficking and smuggling are common, and that Colombia previously accused Venezuela of harbouring FARC and ELN rebels, charges Caracas has repeatedly denied.
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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