U.S. National Security Council Spokesman Mike Hammer said Friday that his government backs Colombian President-elect Juan Manuel Santos’ stated objective of restoring severed ties with Venezuela.
Hammer, who is a part of the U.S. delegation that will attend Santos’ inauguration on Saturday, said Colombia should seek dialogue with its neighbor, but stressed that allegations of a guerrilla presence in Venezuelan must be investigated because no country should harbor terrorists.
The spokesman added that the U.S. was studying the evidence that Colombia presented to the Organization of American States (OAS) of 87 guerrilla camps within Venezuelan borders, and would elaborate on the matter in the next few days.
Venezuela broke all ties with Colombia in late July, following Colombia’s presentation to the OAS. Venezuela has expressed a willingness to resume a dialogue with Colombia after Santos takes office.
The Santos administration, which had said that normalizing relations with Venezuela would be a priority, has remained tight-lipped on the issue since Venezuela severed ties, but is expected to speak out after Santos takes office on August 7.