Partido de la U presidential Juan Manuel Santos on Monday refused to respond publicly to inflamatory comments made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Speaking to Colombian press Monday morning, Santos said that he would ignore the remarks from Chavez, saying, “To foolish words, deaf ears.”
Chavez on Monday morning called Santos a “wolf dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood,” because of the way he is “going around searching for votes.”
The Venezuelan president also said that Santos, Colombia’s former defense minister, would be a threat to the region if elected as president.
“As president, Santos could cause a war in this part of the world,” Chavez said Sunday during his weekly television show, adding that, “Santos doesn’t respect anything.”
Santos has accused Chavez of meddling in Colombia’s presidential campaign, but the Venezuelan leader denied Sunday that he is trying to influence the outcome of the election.
Relations between Chavez and Uribe have been rocky for years, but frictions have worsened in recent months over Colombia’s agreement to give the U.S. increased access to its military bases – a deal that Chavez calls a threat to Venezuela.