Mexico's president-elect, Venezuelan candidate in Bogotá

Henrique Capriles, the conservative candidate challenging President Hugo Chávez in Venezuela's October presidential elections was in Bogotá on 20 September, where he met in private with President Juan Manuel Santos, media reported. Santos told Capriles in a "cordial" 20-minute meeting that Colombia was neutral in Venezuela's 7 October elections and the two states must continue to cooperate whatever the election result, the broadcaster Caracol reported. Venezuela's Vice-President Elías Jaua Milano told Radio Caracol that day that Venezuela respected the Colombian president's "sovereign" decision to meet with political leaders of any country, Europa Press reported. On 19 September Santos met with Mexico's visiting president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto, who expressed support for Colombia's planned peace talks with FARC guerrillas and said Mexico and Colombia would cooperate in fighting organized crime, Europa Press reported. Peña Nieto said Colombia's "successful" security policies would become a "reference" for Mexico; Colombia had successfuly reduced crime rates he said, and his government would seek its "support and advice" in future "public security tasks."