Surprise announcement: Hugo sends FM to Santos inauguration

[rabs]

Something is going on behind the scene:

-- Venezuela and Colombia: No diplomatic relations.

-- Chavez says FM Nicolás Maduro will represent him. On 3 August, Maduro opened the door to Santos for a possible raprochment.

-- María Ángela Holguín, Colombian foreign as of tomorrow, says she hopes "something good" will come of Maduro's being there. "We expect something good. We shall see."

-- Maduro and Holguín are friends since she was ambassador to Caracas several years ago.

-- Chavez asked Lula to convey his greetings to Santos as the new president.

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In Colombia already:

Mujica, Uruguay

Bellerive, Haiti (Preval a no-show, not known why)

Colom, Guatemala

Funes, El Salvador

Chinchilla, Panama

Pinera, Chile

Nestor Kirchner, UNASUR

Lula

Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia

Cristina Fernández, Argentina

Alan Garcia, Perú

Leonel Fernández Reyna, República Dominicana

Ricardo Martinelli, Panamá

Felipe Calderón, México

Orette-Bruce Golding, PM, Jamaica

Correa, Ecuador arriving Saturday morning.

Prince Felipe of Spain arriving tomorrow.

Evo Morales, Bolivia: NOT going because he says he was not invited. Colombia said he was invited.

Obama, not going. Hillary, not going. Ex-milico on White House staff named Jimmy Jones was named couple of weeks ago to represent Obama/Hil.