By IANS
Washington : The Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States (OAS) has given unanimous approval to a resolution accepted by both Ecuador and Colombia, which are at odds over a cross-border raid by Colombian forces.
The draft resolution was agreed after “14 hours of intense negotiations”, said Aristides Royo, Panama’s envoy to the OAS who heads the working group, Spain’s EFE news agency reported Thursday.
The resolution says that Bogota violated Ecuador’s sovereignty and territorial integrity through last weekend’s operation against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, killing the guerrilla group’s second-in-command Raul Reyes and 20 other rebels.
OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza called the document “an exhibition of peace and understanding”.
Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Maria Isabel Salvador and Colombian Ambassador to the OAS Camilo Ospina also said they were satisfied with the consensus, which was received by representatives of the 34 member nations with applause.
“The resolution reaffirms the principle that the territory of a state is inviolable and cannot be the object of military occupation or other measures of force taken by another state, direct or indirect, whatever the motive might be, even in a temporary manner,” Salvador said.
The resolution also establishes the creation of a commission headed by Insulza and formed by four ambassadors designated by him that will visit both countries and the attack site. The team will also consult foreign ministers of both the countries on the matter and propose formulas of rapprochement between both parties.
The draft calls for a meeting of OAS foreign ministers March 17 at OAS headquarters in Washington.
“Today the OAS has passed a historic test, which ratifies its raison d’etre, since it is an organisation called upon to monitor the maintenance of hemispheric peace and security,” said Salvador.
Following the Saturday bombings, Colombian ground troops entered Ecuador to recover Reyes’ dead body and the rebels’ computers, among other things.
Ecuador and Venezuela broke diplomatic relations with Colombia and sent extra troops to their borders with that country. Venezuela also closed the border to trade.
FARC, founded in 1964, is the oldest and largest rebel group in Colombia, with some 10,000 fighters. It has been fighting the Colombian state for over 40 years.