Correa blasts Uribe's decision to skip Andean summit

Colombia Reports
Saturday, 04 October 2008

Relations between Ecuador and Colombia once again took a turn for the worse after Colombian president Álvaro Uribe’s announced Friday he was skipping a regional meeting hosted by his neighbor.

Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa called the decision “rude” and “insolent” in his weekly radio and television address.

“It is the same old story, at the last minute boycott the get together with Ecuador. At the end, Uribe doesn’t want to reestablish relations,” he said, according to Caracol Radio. "Mr. President Uribe doesn't want to come to our country? Don't come, we're not going to miss him."

Explaining his choice to skip the October 14 meeting of the Andean Community of Nations, Uribe said host Ecuador has failed “to provide appropriate conditions” to allow his presence.

Specifically, Correa has made statements “in unaccomodating terms toward the Colombian government, which has occurred on past occasions,” said the statement, reported Caracol Radio.

Relations between the Andean neighbors have long been tense, with Colombia accusing Ecuador of taking a hands-off approach to FARC encampments along the countries shared border.

But the situation boiled over when the Colombian army attacked a FARC camp in Ecuadorian territory, killing guerrilla commander Raúl Reyes and 25 others in July.

The relationship was further damaged when Colombia alleged that ten government officials were kidnapped by the FARC in Ecuador. Ecuador denied the charges.