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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Colombia frees Venezuelan guards | Colombia frees Venezuelan guards |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Colombia has released four members of the Venezuelan national guard who were detained on Colombian territory. | Colombia has released four members of the Venezuelan national guard who were detained on Colombian territory. |
| Colombia says they were stopped on Friday by its navy in a boat on a river in the border province of Vichada. | Colombia says they were stopped on Friday by its navy in a boat on a river in the border province of Vichada. |
| President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela ruled out dialogue with the Colombian government saying he would not accept outside mediation in the dispute. | |
| The only way to resolve the conflict with Colombia is for the US to withdraw from military bases there, he added. | |
| Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe said the troops were being sent home as a message of the "unbreakable affection" between the two countries. | |
| "They should carry back the message that here there is brotherly affection for Venezuela and that affection is unbreakable," he said. | "They should carry back the message that here there is brotherly affection for Venezuela and that affection is unbreakable," he said. |
| Earlier this month, President Chavez urged his armed forces to be prepared for possible war. | Earlier this month, President Chavez urged his armed forces to be prepared for possible war. |
| He said the increased US access to Colombian bases would allow Washington to spy on Venezuela and attack strategic targets. | He said the increased US access to Colombian bases would allow Washington to spy on Venezuela and attack strategic targets. |
| Venezuela has accused the United States of planning attacks on its territory through a new military agreement with Colombia. | Venezuela has accused the United States of planning attacks on its territory through a new military agreement with Colombia. |
| Bogota says the pact is aimed at fighting drug-traffickers and Marxist rebels within Colombia's own borders. | Bogota says the pact is aimed at fighting drug-traffickers and Marxist rebels within Colombia's own borders. |