SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SUMMIT FURTHER REDUCING LATIN AMERICAN TENSIONS

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SUMMIT FURTHER REDUCING LATIN AMERICAN TENSIONS New York, Mar 10 2008 3:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today applauded the outcome of this weekend's Rio Group Summit, which ended with the further resolution of tensions between Colombia and Ecuador.

According to media reports, the Summit, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, ended with the leaders of the two South American nations shaking hands and declaring their dispute to be resolved.

Ecuadorian and Venezuelan troops amassed at their borders with Colombia following the 1 March attack in Ecuador claiming the life of a senior leader of the rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), as indicated by press reports.

The weekend meeting supplements last week's gathering by the Organization of American States (OAS) and "underlines the effective role that can be played by regional mechanisms to promote dialogue and cooperation," according to a <" http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3038">statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.

Last week, he hailed the leadership shown by the OAS in addressing the tensions between Colombia and Ecuador. "The resolution adopted at the OAS yesterday provides [an] impartial mechanism to clarify events and offers both countries a path to resolve their differences peacefully and cooperatively," the Secretary-General noted in an earlier statement.
2008-03-10 00:00:00.000

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