Chavez tries role as Colombian mediator

Chavez unabashedly targets the U.S. government and his detractors in countries from Mexico to Spain with incendiary rhetoric, but has seldom involved himself so directly with the internal affairs of another nation. He has long sought to maintain cordial relations with the U.S.-allied Uribe despite their ideological differences.

If he succeeds in Colombia, he could expand his influence and improve his image.