Several Colombian congressmen want President Álvaro Uribe to take
neighbor Venezuela to an international court for spying on Colombia’s
consul in Maracaibo.
Consul Carlos Galvis Fajardo was pulled from Venezuela’s second largest city Maracaibo after President Hugo Chávez threatened to oust him. The leftist President claims Venezuelan intelligence recorded telephone conversations between the consul and one of Uribe’s advisers.
According to Chávez, the consul in that conversation welcomed the victory of the Venezuelan opposition during regional elections and allegedly would be plotting anti-government activities.
“We are asking the government to denounce this espionage before international bodies like the UN or the OAS and to have President Hugo Chávez punished for having ordered the recording of telephone conversations of a Colombian diplomat,” deputy chairman of Congress’ Foreign Affairs committee, Jairo Clopatrofsky said.
Colombia Monday officially sent a letter of protest to Venezuela.