Politics
Venezuelan-Peruvian relations are growing strained once again. This time, the reason is the political asylum the government of President Alan García granted to Venezuela's major opposition leader Manuel Rosales, who is the mayor of Maracaibo, the second largest city in Venezuela.

In a communiqué, Caracas announced its decision to recall its ambassador to Lima and "to initiate an evaluation phase of its relationship with the Peruvian government." Lima, in turn, is sending conciliatory signals.

Peruvian authorities have not acted in accordance with the diplomatic tradition of reciprocity. Rather, they kept Ambassador Luis Santa María in Caracas, and stressed they do no intend to harm the relations with Venezuela.

"We have a position of friendship with the Venezuelan government and this decision will not disturb the ties with that country," said García in Río Branco, during a press conference following his meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

"The primary obligation of a democratic government is to give shelter to whomever feels threatened," noted the Peruvian head of state. For this reason, Rosales was granted asylum.

The "sacred institution"
In Caracas, however, officials disagree with the Peruvian authorities. Germán Saltrón, the Venezuelan representative to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said that Lima "is dishonoring the sacred institution of asylum." In Saltrón's view, Rosales was granted asylum because of his "political and ideological affinity" with President García, rather than "humanitarian reasons."

President García is allegedly a friend of former Venezuelan President Carlos Andrés Pérez, who is a friend of the former head of the Venezuelan Workers' Confederation and top opposition leader Carlos Ortega –who was also granted asylum in Peru. Pérez, Ortega and Rosales were all members of Venezuela's Acción Democrática party.

However, the ideological affinity does not seem to be the reason why in 1992 then Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori granted asylum to almost 100 Venezuelan officers who on November 27 that year staged a coup d'état against Pérez.

Conflicts settled
Once the insults Chávez and then presidential candidate Alan García exchanged in 2006 were left behind, bilateral relations seemed to go back to normal and take a pragmatic path.

The alleged Venezuelan meddling in Peru, through the Houses of ALBA, which was confirmed by a Peruvian parliamentarian committee, and the asylums granted to Ortega, Rosales and to Eduardo Lapi, a former opposition governor in central Yaracuy state, bilateral ties are going through a sensitive phase again.

Yehude Simon, the Peruvian Primer Minister, lamented that a political asylum granted to Rosales "makes things complex" between the two nations. "I regret the situation that somewhat makes things difficult for the country, but this should not affect the ties with a fellow country and all the necessary steps will be taken to provide a rationale."