News: Holland Denies Crisis with Venezuela

(PL 06/04/2006) Willemstad - Netherlands Foreign Minister Ben Bot denied any diplomatic crisis with Venezuela and announced he accepted an official invitation to Caracas in July, although he cancelled commitments with Venezuela this week.

The Venezuela-Netherlands controversy began in March over statements by Netherlands Defense Minister Henk Kamp that "President Chavez coveted small Netherlands territories off the Venezuelan coasts."

Chavez called the statements slanders spread in the framework of the US´ anti-Venezuela campaign to coincide with the US and Netherlands Caribbean Lion 2006 drill.

This May 23-Jun 15 exercise involves 4,000 sea, air and land troops from Canada, France, Belgium, Curacao and Guadeloupe. Caracas refused to participate in Lion 2006.

Venezuelan and Netherlands naval officers met to discuss bilateral cooperation in Willemstad on Monday.

The Pentagon runs an illegal naval base in Guantanamo (Cuba), and others like Hato Rey (Curacao), Fort Buchanan and Roosevelt Roads (Puerto Rico) and Reina Beatrix (Aruba).

This includes Comalapa (El Salvador), Manta (Ecuador), Soto Cano (Honduras) and thousands of soldiers stationed in Colombia.