Colombia President To Meet With Venezuela's Chavez April 23
BOGOTA -(Dow Jones)- Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will travel to Venezuela April 23 to meet with that country's president, Hugo Chavez, the Uribe's office said in a statement Thursday.
The leaders will meet in San Cristobal, a town on the Venezuelan side of the two nations' border. They plan to discuss border security issues and trade as well as social and economic development, said the statement.
ADVERTISEMENT A general strike in Venezuela in December and January that sought, but failed, to oust Chavez from power, severely hurt bilateral trade between the two countries. Colombian exports to Venezuela plunged 72% in January to $35 million from $125 million in January 2002.
Also, Colombian exporters are owed more than $300 million by Venezuelan importers because foreign currency restrictions in Venezuela have made it difficult for those importers to get dollars.
-By Dan Molinski, Dow Jones Newswires; 571-600-1980; colombia@dowjones.com