VOA常速英语2008年-Colombia and Venezuela Engaged in a War of Word

By Zulima Palacio
Cucuta, Colombia
12 February 2008
 

For the past few months, the presidents of Colombia and Venezuela have been engaged in a war of words, harshly criticizing each other. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez even hinted at the possibility of armed conflict in comments made in mid-January. Yet the two neighboring nations are closely tied commercially -- they are for each other the second largest trading partner after the United States. Reporter Zulima Palacio traveled to the border between the two countries and prepared this story. Mil Arcega narrates¹ the report.

This is one of the two international bridges that joins the most important border crossing between Colombia and Venezuela. Cucuta is on the Colombian side with nearly one million inhabitants. San Antonio del Tachira, with its 150,000 inhabitants, is on the Venezuelan side. Every type of commerce takes place here: from legal multi-million dollar imports and exports, to a wide and rich market of contraband² goods.

Eduardo Montoya, who is a street vendor³, describes what he does. "I am one more salesman of gasoline here in the Colombo-Venezuelan border, and have been doing this for the past three years. The Venezuelan cars come here and sell gas to us. The gas comes in the tank of the car and then we take it out."

Hundreds of people like him on the roads of Cucuta make a living re-selling cheap gasoline from Venezuela. Carlos Gomez has done it for the past eight years. He says, "The Mayor's office allows us to work but everyone knows we are informal workers and this is an illicit⁴ business."

The re-sale of gasoline takes place along much of the extensive 2000 kilometer border between Colombia and Venezuela. The mathematics of this business explains what happens to many other products sold on the border, according to Pedro Sayazo, director of the Cucuta Chamber⁵ of Commerce. "A five gallon container in Venezuela costs about 45 cents. When it crosses the border to Colombia, its value goes up to $20. But if we wanted to buy that gasoline at Colombian prices, we would pay about $30 because of the exchange rate."

Sayazo says that while Venezuela imports a large number of food products from Colombia, the government sells it to the population at lower, subsidized prices, making many Colombian goods cheaper in Venezuela.  "While this huge difference in exchange rates exists, in which Colombian goods in Venezuela cost half as much and also are subsidized, well, logically in economic terms this stimulates⁶ corruption," he said.

Recently, Venezuelan supermarkets started to experience supply problems for some basic food products. Some stores in San Antonio de Tachira closed their doors, others had empty shelves.

A supermarket attendant says supplies are limited. "Yes, we have sugar, but there has been no powdered milk for the past two months and we don't have oil or ketchup⁷."

In January, President Chavez sent the National Guard to San Antonio. Gasoline and other products were confiscated⁸ at the border. Hundreds of people involved in the contraband trade slowed their activities . But the "leaking" of products across the border continued, like trucks which used a river path, right under the international bridge.

Javier Diaz Molina is the president of ANALDEX, the Colombian National Association of International Commerce, based in Bogota. "We totally support stopping contraband, because it help us with the illicit drug problem."

Molina says the very diversified⁹ commercial relationship with Venezuela grew by 80 percent last year and he hopes the trend will continue, "We sell more than $4 billion in more than 2,000 products. Twenty-five hundred Colombian businesses participated in it."

However Molina expressed concern over the deteriorating¹⁰ political relationship between the two countries. He pointed¹¹ to the growing tensions between the two presidents, Hugo Chavez and Alvaro Uribe. Mr. Chavez' verbal attacks have been on the rise in recent weeks:
Chavez: "Bush's Speech, that is Uribe, that is Uribe's speech."
Uribe: "The truth, President Chavez, the truth is that when there are no arguments one resorts to insults. And when you do this, then it not only affects international relations but it also hurts the dignity of the nation of Venezuela, which you represent."

Since making those comments, President Uribe has kept silent over the issue. But President Chavez' criticism continues to cause concern in Colombia.

Political analyst¹² Carlos Alberto Patiño of the Colombian National University says Mr. Chavez' actions are the result of recent political setbacks in his country. "It seems like President Chavez with all of this may be trying to divert attention away from an internal crisis in Venezuela. I believe we are in a very difficult pre-war moment, mostly because President Chavez has switched diplomatic relations into personal relations, and made it a personal quarrel against President Uribe," he said. 

However, at the Colombian-Venezuelan border the feeling is very different. "Nothing is going to happen," Sayazo said. "Like all the confrontations¹³ and all the difficulties that Colombia and Venezuela have had in the past."

Some Latin American leaders have expressed concern over the situation and promised to mediate¹⁴ if necessary. And while the press and political analysts¹⁵ are growing concerned, life is back to normal at the border between Colombia and Venezuela.

1 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

2 contraband   

n.违禁品，走私品

参考例句：

• Most of the city markets were flooded with contraband goods.大多数的城市市场上都充斥着走私货。
• The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods.海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

3 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

4 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

5 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

6 stimulates   

v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 )；激励；使兴奋；起兴奋作用，起刺激作用，起促进作用

参考例句：

• Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 ketchup   

n.蕃茄酱，蕃茄沙司

参考例句：

• There's a spot of ketchup on the tablecloth.桌布上有一点番茄酱的渍斑。
• Could I have some ketchup and napkins,please?请给我一些番茄酱和纸手巾？

8 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

9 diversified   

adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• The college biology department has diversified by adding new courses in biotechnology. 该学院生物系通过增加生物技术方面的新课程而变得多样化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Take grain as the key link, develop a diversified economy and ensure an all-round development. 以粮为纲，多种经营，全面发展。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

11 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

14 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。