Caracas, Feb 7
President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro. / Photo: AFP
President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro. / Photo: AFP
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, He raised the creation of “a large binational economic zone” with Colombia to give alternatives to the inhabitants of the Catatumbo border regionravaged in recent weeks due to clashes between the ELN guerrillas and a FARC dissent.
In a transmission of the state channel VTV, Maduro explained that this area would cover the Colombian department of Norte de Santander and the Venezuelan states of Táchira and Zulia (west), for, he added, “The economic development, the replacement of” illegal crops and give “work, decent alternatives, to men and women” of that border space.
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He also assured that this plan – from which he did not offer more details or gave date when approved – andS Also to “bring education, literacy, culture, sport” and “to bring social-integral development”.
“The pains and violence of Colombia are also our pains. We want Colombia to heal their pains, their wounds (…). Colombia has us beyond differences “, said.
Together with Maduro, the head of the Ministry of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, He affirmed that Venezuela destroyed “more than 20 camps” used for drug processing within the framework of the operation ‘Catatumbo lightning’, A military deployment that began on January 31 in Táchira and Zulia.
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Besides, He indicated that Venezuela remains in coordination with the “ministries and all the military leaders” of Colombia on the border.
On Tuesday, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said that the Venezuelan authorities are “deactivating camps” of the ELN guerrillas in Venezuelan territory.
Since January 16, The clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents in the Catatumbo leave between 60 and 80 dead, According to the counts of the Ombudsman and the Government of Norte de Santander, while the number of displaced people is more than 50,000 people.
