World Affairs
Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero on Friday told his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez in Madrid that Spain is willing to cooperate to "reopen the dialogue between Colombia and Venezuela."

Rodríguez Zapatero "once again expressed" to Chávez "his willingness to collaborate in every possible way to reopen the dialogue between Colombia and Venezuela," reported the Ministry of the Spanish Presidency in a statement.

The two leaders "were pleased to reaffirm the good status of bilateral relations" before reviewing issues such as the Ibero-American Summit to be held next November in the Portuguese city of Estoril and the European Union, Latin America and Caribbean Summit (EU-LAC) to be held next year, AFP reported.

In this sense, the Spanish Prime Minister told President Chávez that "he is confident of Venezuela's support" to the bi-regional meeting, which is considered by Madrid as "a central event of the Spanish presidency of the European Union (EU)," in the first half of 2010.

Spain is confident that, with the support of Venezuela, the meeting between the two regions "will represent a qualitative and quantitative leap in the relationship between the two regions as wished by Spain, in order to strengthen, enhance and boost the relations (between the two regions) both in the economic and in the political, social and cultural fields," the statement said.

During the meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes, Rodríguez Zapatero was willing to "provide support for strengthening the bilateral dialogue between Venezuela and the European Union."

Chávez talked to Rodríguez Zapatero before his meeting with King Juan Carlos in the Zarzuela Palace.