Venezuela, Colombia vow to resolve crisis

Diplomats meeting in the Colombian coastal city of Cartagena on Wednesday promised to hold further talks to resolve the dispute and form a joint plan for border security.

The crisis was set off last week after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro closed the border between Tachira and the Colombian city of Cucuta in response to an attack by unknown assailants on an anti-smuggling military patrol. A civilian and three soldiers were shot and wounded in the assault.

Maduro initially ordered the border closed for 72 hours. Two days later, he declared a state of emergency in five frontier towns and extended the closure indefinitely. The Venezuelan leader blames migrant gangs along the border for rampant crime and smuggling of food and fuel that has caused widespread shortages in his country. Hundreds of Colombians have been deported in recent days as part of the crackdown.

Following Wednesday's talks, there was no mention of when the border crossings might re-open. Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Angela Holguin (pictured above, left) described the meeting as "one of the most frank and realistic in a long time."

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said steps needed to be taken to ensure criminal gangs didn't control the borders.

"We'll continue working in future meetings... to build a border of peace, that adheres strictly to the law," he said.

Exodus

Earlier in the week, hundreds of Colombians fled across the border with their belongings instead of risking being deported empty-handed like an estimated 1,000 of their compatriots. The influx has caused a humanitarian crisis in Cucuta, where many deportees have ended up.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (pictured above, center) visited an emergency shelter in the border town on Wednesday, pledging to help returning Colombians with financial aid, housing, education, health care and employment.

"We understand your pain, I saw it, I felt it," Santos said. "Your indignation is totally understandable - it's the same as what I feel. Your feelings of helplessness and humiliation hurt all Colombians."

The president added that the expulsion of Colombians from Venezuela, many of them children, was "not acceptable under any circumstances."

Porous border

Diosdado Cabello, the president of Venezuela's national assembly, said he was sorry "if this is creating a humanitarian crisis in Cucuta, but we are only responsible for protecting people who are Venezuelan."

"Colombia needs to take care of its own problems," he added.

An estimated 5 million Colombians live in Venezuela. Many of them moved there in recent decades to escape conflict or find better opportunities in the oil rich nation. The porous border between the two countries stretches some 2,200 kilometers (1,400 miles).

The current state of emergency, which restricts constitutional guarantees such as the right to protest, carry weapons or move freely, is expected to last 60 days.

nm/lw (AP, dpa, Reuters, EFE)