Bogotá, Nov. 04 (OP). The Government of Colombia wishes to inform that:

1. It considers the public order situation currently being experienced in Venezuela, which has led to the death of a large number of Colombian citizens, to be serious.

2. In Colombia, the State vigorously combats any expression of criminality and terrorism, with full respect for independence of the judicial branch and without regard for the alleged motivation of the crimes.

3. In relation to the cases of murders of Colombian citizens in Venezuela, any hypothesis is extremely serious. Some sources in that country have tried to suggest that, since they were alleged members of the erroneously called paramilitary groups, there could be some type of justification for the incident.

4. When faced with the murder of any citizen, action by the State must be equally categorical, regardless of whether they are individuals that aspire to replace it, terrorists, illegal drug-traffickers or militias. The law must operate in full force without any room for prior political judgment.

5. The Government of Colombia is prepared to offer its fullest cooperation in the investigations carried out by Venezuelan judicial authorities in order to clarify responsibilities and bring the perpetrators to justice.

6. Colombia, a country that has been plagued by violence resulting from terrorism and illegal drug traffic, condemns the death of two members of the National Guard of Venezuela and expresses its solidarity to their families and friends.

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