COLOMBIA: Presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos shrugs off criticism from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Record ID: 586074

  • Title: COLOMBIA: Presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos shrugs off criticism from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
  • Date: 4th May 2010
  • Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (MAY 02, 2010) (REUTERS) PEOPLE AT CAMPAIGN EVENT FOR COLOMBIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, JUAN MANUEL SANTOS VARIOUS OF SIGNS READING 'SANTOS FOR PRESIDENT" SANTOS AT CAMPAIGN EVENT PEOPLE AT THE CAMPAIGN EVENT SANTOS DURING SPEECH PEOPLE AT THE CAMPAIGN EVENT SANTOS BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, SAYING: "One could elect Mother Teresa of Calcutta in Colombia, and President Chavez would have problems with her. He needs to keep the confrontation alive; the fantasy of the external threat, but from our side there will only be good intentions, looking for dialogue where possible." SANTOS DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SANTOS, SAYING: "I have deep differences with the Bolivarian revolution. There has always been a Bolivarian revolution objective [in Colombia], what they call the Santander oligarchy, which are the Colombian leaders and they [the Chavez government] know that I will block this the same way President Uribe has. They would want someone who wouldn't make it so difficult to penetrate so the revolution can flourish in Colombia. And I am not going to let that happen at all." BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE AT CAMPAIGN EVENT FOR COLOMBIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, ANTANAS MOCKUS MOCKUS AT CAMPAIGN EVENT SIGN THAT READS 'MOCKUS FOR PRESIDENT' MOCKUS AT CAMPAIGN EVENT BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (MAY 02, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SANTOS, SAYING: "It's [Presidential candidate Antanas Mockus' campaign] a wave, a trend, but hopefully we can break that wave and see what it is about, what it is really proposing. What does it have to do with the government, what are the concrete proposals? Waves come and they hit the shore and they disappear, what is important is what they leave behind." BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SANTOS IN A LOCAL MALL SHAKING HANDS WITH PEOPLE MAN TAKING A PICTURE OF SANTOS WITH A WOMAN AND BABY SANTOS WALKING NEXT TO PEOPLE IN A MALL SANTOS PAYING FOR LUNCH BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (MAY 02, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SANTOS, SAYING: "Without security problems we can jump to higher and more sustainable growth. Security is still a factor, but it is not the prime factor, it is not the only factor. The most important factor now is the economic and social aspect. Colombia has advanced but there is a lot we have to do to advance more." BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) SANTOS SUPPORTERS A MAN WITH A SIGN READING 'SANTOS FOR PRESIDENT' SANTOS SUPPORTERS
  • Embargoed: 19th May 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Colombia
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA5D7ULG45ARMIK8D8VHYORJLPB
  • Story Text: Colombian presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos on Sunday (May 02) accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of trying to scuttle his bid because he would resist the leftist's attempt to spread his revolutionary program across the border.
    Former defense minister Santos is one of the two leading candidates for May's election to replace President Alvaro Uribe, a staunch U.S. ally in a region where Chavez and other leftists say they are resisting Washington's influence.
    Colombia and Venezuela are locked in a feud that has battered bilateral trade as part of a long feud between U.S. ally, Uribe and Chavez, who says the U.S. government wants to halt his so-called Bolivarian revolution for the poor.
    How to manage tricky relations with Venezuela is now a key issue in the election race after a diplomatic dispute slashed Colombian exports to its neighbor and stirred up tensions in the northern Andes where Colombia is a staunch U.S. ally.
    "One could elect Mother Teresa of Calcutta in Colombia, and President Chavez would have problems with her. He needs to keep the confrontation alive; the fantasy of the external threat, but from our side there will only be good intentions, looking for dialogue where possible," Santos said at a Reuters Latin America Investment Summit.
    Colombia last year signed an agreement allowing U.S. troops more access to its military bases to improve cooperation against cocaine traffickers and leftist FARC rebels. But Chavez calls the deal part of a U.S. campaign against his OPEC nation.
    Colombian officials often accuse Chavez of leniency on FARC rebels hiding in his territory. The Venezuelan leader dismisses the charges, but he accuses Colombian elites of working against him, saying Santos is a threat to the region.
    "I have deep differences with the Bolivarian revolution. There has always been a Bolivarian revolution objective [in Colombia], what they call the Santander oligarchy, which are the Colombian leaders and they [the Chavez government] know that I will block this the same way President Uribe has. They would want someone who wouldn't make it so difficult to penetrate so the revolution can flourish in Colombia. And I am not going to let that happen at all," Santos added.
    Santos, once a strong favorite is now facing a rising challenge from Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus who has seen a dramatic surge in his campaign recently.
    Mockus, a two-time former Bogota mayor is now tied with or has the lead over Santos in polls.
    Some voters may applaud Santos' tough take on Chavez, but analysts say others see a better chance of improving relations with Venezuela and resolving trade issues if Mockus is elected.
    Mockus is also drawing support from voters who are tired of scandals over human rights and corruption during Uribe's time, and with his appeal for clean government.
    Voters are also now more concerned about the economy than security, but Santos brushed off his challenger as nothing but a passing phase.
    "It's [Presidential candidate Antanas Mockus' campaign] a wave, a trend, but hopefully we can break that wave and see what it is about, what it is really proposing. What does it have to do with the government, what are the concrete proposals? Waves come and they hit the shore and they disappear, what is important is what they leave behind," said Santos.
    Uribe remains popular for his U.S.-backed war on leftist rebels and cocaine traffickers as violence and bombings from the conflict have eased and foreign investment is expected to jump to $10 billion this year compared to $2 billion in 2002 when Uribe was first elected.
    Both Santos and Mockus promise to maintain continuity investors expect in the basic policies of Uribe's "Democratic Security" policy of tough security with pro-business approach.
    But Santos, educated in U.S. and British universities, touts his experience as Uribe's defense minister and as a former finance minister to show he can guide a country where economic opportunities, social welfare and unemployment are now more a concern than rebel violence.
    "Without security problems we can jump to higher and more sustainable growth. Security is still a factor, but it is not the prime factor, it is not the only factor. The most important factor now is the economic and social aspect. Colombia has advanced but there is a lot we have to do to advance more," said Santos.
    To drive economic growth at around 5 percent a year, Santos said his government would focus on developing potential in farming, housing construction, infrastructure projects, the mining and oil sector and improving education.
    He describes his economic management as "third way" -- a free market approach with a priority on investment but with state intervention when necessary, for example, stepping in to regulate medicine prices to stop abuses.
    A month ago, it looked like Santos was on a clear path to the presidency. But with Mockus' rise in polls the two men look likely to face off in a June run-off if neither wins outright in May.
    Santos says as heads of Uribe's U Party, which along with other pro-Uribe parties holds a majority in Congress, he can guarantee "governability" and push through reforms easier than could Mockus, whose Green movement holds few seats.
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