VENEZUELA-CHAVEZ

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is pictured as he delivers a speech during a press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on July 29, 2009. Hugo Chavez decided to "freeze" relations with neighboring Colombia and recall his envoy over accusations from Bogota that Caracas has links to Colombia's FARC Marxist guerillas. The move threatens to suspend billions of dollars in trade, and Chavez warned that Colombian-owned operations in Venezuela could be seized. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX