The foreign ministers of Colombia and Venezuela have promised to increase cooperation following the closure of two major border crossings and a crackdown on migrants and smugglers by Venezuela.
Even as the diplomats talked in the Caribbean coastal resort of Cartagena on Wednesday, motorists in the Colombian city of Cucuta complained of long queues for petrol as Venezuela's security offensive cuts off trade between the two nations.
The foreign ministers announced after an hours-long meeting that high-level defence officials from the two countries would speak in the coming days to form a joint plan for border security
Across the border, scores of Colombians packed their belongings into suitcases and prepared for an army escort out of Venezuela, joining the estimated 1,000 of their compatriots who have already been deported.
Donamaris Ramirez, the mayor of Cucuta, says he plans to order petrol stations to remain open 24 hours to attend to demand met normally by curbside smugglers who purchase petrol in Venezuela at less than a penny a gallon and resell it for huge profits in Colombia.
Underground economy
With two main border crossings closed, the underground economy has come to a halt, satisfying Venezuelan officials who have long blamed transnational mafias for widespread shortages but also jeopardising the livelihood of tens of thousands of poor Colombians who depend on the black market.
On Tuesday, a group of 100 Colombians fled the border town of San Antonio del Tachira by wading across a knee-deep river with their possession, everything from TVs to doors, slung across their backs.
Video report at link:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/venezuela-colombia-hold-talks-border-row-150827025436451.html
