Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s trip to Colombia was postponed until April 9 because of technical problems on the head of state’s airplane.
“President Hugo Chavez had a problem with his airplane. After communicating with Mr. President (Juan Manuel Santos) he said his plane is damaged and it is impossible to leave in the coming hours,” said Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin who was in Cartagena earlier Friday awaiting Chavez’s arrival.
The head of states decided to postpone their meeting until Saturday April 9.
Reportedly on the agenda for the third meeting between Santos and Chavez since Santos took office in 2010 was a conversation on commercial agreements between the neighboring countries.
Chavez’s airplane was supposed to depart earlier Friday from Cochabamba, Bolivia and arrive in the northern coastal city of Cartagena after 3:00PM. Cartagena will be the last stop on the leader’s South American tour of four cities including Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Cochabamba.
Before his departure Monday, President Chavez said on his weekly television program “Hello President,” that the trip “is very important to strengthen the alliance.” Referencing the United States the President went on to say, “We have to guarantee peace, because the yankees have a plan to generate a war between Colombia and Venezuela, of course, to get rid of Chavez and then the intervention.”