Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe both plan to attend the upcoming Unasur summit on Haiti. It is the first time the two leaders will be in the same place at the same time after months of verbal attacks.
The last event that both Chavez and Uribe attended was the UNASUR summit in Bariloche, Argentina last August.
The heads of state of Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador have also confirmed their attendance at the Quito conference.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa called the meeting to discuss what UNASUR can offer in humanitarian aid to the Haiti, which was devastated by an 7.0-magnitude earthquake on January 12.
Venezuela cut ties with Colombia after the Andean nation signed a military pact with the U.S. which allowed the North American country to use seven of its military bases.
Chavez, the U.S.’s fiercest critic on the continent, considers the pact a threat to national security and has made steps to block his country’s $7 billion annual trade with Colombia, and tighten border security. Tensions also exist due to the long-held belief of the Colombian goverment that the leftist government in Caracas is supporting guerrillas in Colombia.
