Santos demands Venezuela respond to protest note on maritime boundaries

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Tuesday demanded that the Venezuelan government respond to the protest note his government sent regarding the recent unilateral decree by Caracas claiming Caribbean waters that are in dispute with Bogota. In a speech in the town of Garzon, in southern Huila province, Santos said that the communique issued on Tuesday by the government of Nicolas Maduro, in which it calls Colombia's protest "exaggerated" and proposes taking the matter before the Binational High Level Commission, or COBAN, "is not a response." The Colombian leader accepted Venezuela's proposal to deal with the matter in COBAN but said that for that forum to convene it would be necessary for Caracas to provide a formal response and he hoped that one will be forthcoming "in the coming hours." More…