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Colombian president sets conditions for talks with Venezuelan counterpart

Xinhua, September 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Thursday he won't meet with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro until Caracas fulfills three conditions in the deportation of thousands of Colombians, which has caused a diplomatic crisis between the two nations.

"I would like to say to President Maduro that I am willing to meet but the Venezuelans need to respect the Colombians' fundamental rights and we need to see evidence of this happening," Santos said at a public event.

First, he asked Maduro to open up a humanitarian corridor at the border so that 2,067 children can return to classes in Colombia.

Another condition is that Venezuela allows 15 truckloads of deported Colombians' belongings to leave Venezuela.

"And the third condition: we demand that Venezuela comply with the minimum protocols and does not mistreat the Colombians who are going to be deported. If these conditions, which are basic humanitarian conditions, are met, I will sit down with Maduro to fix the problem," said Santos.

The Colombian leader said he was hopeful that he could resolve the differences between himself and Maduro.

As the Organization of the American States is reluctant to get involved in the Colombia-Venezuela rift, Santos said he would turn to other multilateral venues like the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration for help.

The two countries' border crisis erupted on Aug. 19 when three Venezuelan army officers were wounded by suspected paramilitary gunmen operating in Colombia, which led to the closure of a major border crossing by Venezuela.

Venezuela has deported nearly 1,100 Colombians, including 300 minors, since the border closure. Another 5,000 have left voluntarily.

"There was no violation of human rights. None of them were injured or killed, none of them were hit, tortured or humiliated. Everything was done within the spirit of human rights," Venezuela's Governor of the state of Tachira Jose Vielma Mora said last Friday.

A day earlier, the two countries recalled their ambassadors. Endi