March 10, 2008 seems to be that the tensions between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela are dissipating. I say, seems to be because when Chavez is involved in any issue, anything is possible and but explains the fact of wanting to lead a war without a valid reason for Venezuela is true that actions carried out by Uribe’s Government were serious violations to the Ecuadorian sovereignty. Perhaps he thought Uribe justified its military action in the suspicions I had about the Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa support the FARC. You will have also imagined that in this way could be a blow to public opinion in Colombia who was observing how Chavez assumed a role in the negotiations with the FARC. It is true that the Santo Domingo Summit served to soothe tensions. This brought tranquility to the Colombian people, but especially for businessmen who surely thought that it wasn’t the best time to enter in conflict with neighbouring countries. Is that the economic context current is not the most propitious for Colombia to put at risk a major portion of their income for exports. Colombian exports represent around 18% of its GDP and more than 60% of them goes to the United States.

UU. and their neighbors in the region. The crisis in the United States. UU. it comes to affect the Colombian export sector through the U.S.

economic slowdown and the weakness of the dollar that caused a sharp appreciation of the Colombian currency. It is also true that the Colombian currency comes appreciating further as a consequence of a restrictive monetary policy that seeks to contain inflation, which should keep high their interest rates. So it is that, before the problems facing the main commercial partner of Colombia, did not seem to be an appropriate time to enter in conflict with Venezuela and Ecuador, countries with which Colombia has trade flows which exceeded the US $8.