Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Monday, 7 February 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 February 2005. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Monday, 21 February 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of (a) Colombia and (b) Venezuela regarding the dispute over the arrest of FARC member Rodrigo Granda.

Answer: Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of (a) Colombia and (b) Venezuela regarding the dispute over the arrest of FARC member Rodrigo Granda. [215752] Mr. Rammell: We have not had specific discussions with the Colombian or Venezuelan governments on this issue, although it has been touched on during regular contacts between our embassies and the respective governments. The two countries recently issued a communique« stating that the dispute has been resolved. We understand that the Venezuelan ambassador to Colombia has now returned to his post in Bogota. We are pleased that the two countries appear to be committed to a swift diplomatic resolution of the crisis. Presidents Uribe and Chavez met on 15 February to formalise the resolution to the dispute.

Secondary information