Mar 10/08 | Merengue in Rio Summit: A Soap Opera Ending to a Story that Has Just Started

Friends again? Not for long!

Many have written to ask my opinion about what happened in the Grupo de Rio Summit in Dominican Republic. First, I have stated that what happened was so tropical that only in the land of merengue could you witness a scene of enemies embracing minutes after hurling ferocious accusations and insults at each other. The only problem adverted was that of a remote military escalation of the conflict between Colombia-Ecuador. The diplomatic crisis would have been solved in any case a week later in the extraordinary meeting of the OAS Foreign Ministers. An OAS resolution already proved that there was willingness to only go so far in censuring Colombia for killing a thug supported politically and economically by those acting as victims.

For Uribe it was a platform to state his case first as a deliberate prosecutor and then as a passionate democrat. For Chávez is was a place to raise a white flag and buy time. For President Correa a showcase to demonstrate that he was out of his league. For President Calderon an opportunity to shine as a quasi statesman from an important country that has to live with these curious neighbors. For President Bachelet an opportunity to get back at Chávez for damaging her show at the Iberoamerican Summit. For President Fernandez de Kirchner a chance to prove that the negative effects of Botox are more than skin deep. And for the host, Lionel Fernandez, it was an opportunity to show why the DR has become a top tourist destination: hot days always end up with fun and dance.

The REAL issue of sovereign states in the hemisphere who support the FARC was not touched, so the REAL problem was not solved. That is how this comment got its title and conclusion.