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Venezuela and Colombia abruptly cancel planned presidents’ meeting, citing ‘force majeure’

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The governments of Venezuela and Colombia on Thursday announced the cancellation of a highly anticipated meeting between their presidents planned for the following day at their shared border.

The talks were to be Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s first official meeting with a Latin American leader since she was sworn in January following the U.S. military operation to capture then-President Nicolás Maduro. Rodríguez and Colombian President Gustavo Petro were expected to address shared interests in border security, due to the presence of illegal armed groups associated with drug trafficking and the potential for Colombia to import Venezuelan natural gas.

In a joint statement released by Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, the governments attributed the cancellation to “force majeure,” which they did not explain, and said the meeting would take place at a later time.

The statement added that Petro maintains his invitation to Rodríguez to hold the presidential meeting and indicated that both governments remain committed “to strengthening trust, cooperation and bilateral relations.”

Shortly before Thursday’s announcement, Petro’s office said the Colombian leader had a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump in which he wished him “success” in his meeting with Rodríguez.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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