Spain requested to monitor situation on the border

[Bacchus39]

interesting maneuver by Colombia. Chavez and some "Democrats" here on DU wouldn't trust president Obama (the USA) to get involved. Colombia knows this. Spain seems a smart move.


http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/11/06/en_pol_esp_spain-requested-to-m_06A3012211.shtml

The government of President Álvaro Uribe asked Spain to explore "mechanisms to verify and monitor the situation" on the border with Venezuela, where tension has arisen over the last few days, the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs said Friday in a statement.

Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermúdez contacted his Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos to make the request, the official communiqué said, as reported by AFP.

Last September, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero had offered to mediate in the diplomatic crisis between Colombia and Venezuela. However, the Colombian Head of State rejected the Spanish offer. Uribe alleged then that the communication channels with Caracas remained open.

[Braulio]

1. What can Spain do? Use the UN Security Council instead

I'm not sure Spain has the resources to monitor the Colombia-Venezuela border. That would require them to monitor radio traffic, have satellite imagery and sensor data the Spanish lack, plus they would have to put people on the ground, and things are so dangerous there, they would have to carry large military escorts, increasing the danger that some trigger happy soldier will end up shooting the wrong way.

If I were Colombia, I would ask for the UN Security Council to pass a resolution asking both sides to allow a multinational commission to investigate the human rights and security situation along the border between the two countries. They would have the resources to get it done. Evidently things aren't right when people are mass murdered the way they have been in recent days.

[ChangoLoa]

2. the UN Security Council moves so slowly...

and the situation is getting tense. But I doubt anything will happen.

[Braulio]

3. Like you said, nothing will happen

It's just sabre rattling. If we focus on the basic problem, it's the overall lawlessness on both sides of the border between the two nations. Both of them know it, and they won't start shooting at each other over it.

[Bacchus39]

4. not much really, I got the impression Spain is just being asked to send observers

as a neutral party with no dog in the fight.