Venezuela: "The Colombian Government has lied blatantly"

Caracas, March 4, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com) - A diplomatic stand-off between Colombia and its neighbors Ecuador and Venezuela, triggered by Colombia's military attack on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Ecuadorian territory, (which resulted in the deaths of 16 guerrillas, among them Raúl Reyes, the FARC second in command), intensified Tuesday as Venezuela closed its border with Colombia in response to Colombia's accusations that the Venezuelan government had funded the FARC.

Colombian National Police director Oscar Naranjo, claimed yesterday that documents allegedly found in three computers seized during Colombia's raid, show that the Venezuelan government has provided $300 million to the FARC and that the guerrilla group has acquired 50 kilograms of uranium. The Colombian government also claims that documents show links between Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and the FARC.

Both Ecuador and Venezuela dismissed the claims as "absolute lies" and have sent thousands of troops to their borders with Colombia and expelled Bogotá's ambassadors out of their countries. Venezuelan Agriculture Minister Elías Jaua, announced today that Venezuela has also taken measures to close its border with Colombia.

In an extraordinary session of the Organization of American States (OAS), today Venezuelan representative Jorge Valero said, "The Colombian government has lied blatantly. All of the accusations the Colombian government has made against Venezuela and Ecuador are false, totally false."

"They are trying to confuse international opinion in order to evade their own responsibility," he added.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, whose government receives $600 million a year in military aid from the U.S. insisted today he was going to take Chavez to the International Criminal Court for "sponsoring and financing genocide" by allegedly providing money to the guerrillas.

Retired Venezuelan General, Alberto Müller Rojas described Colombia's "evidence" as an "exercise in falsification" and pointed out that "the only foreign government that finances the conflict in Colombia is the United States."

Others have also questioned the validity of the documents; "The handling of that evidence has been pretty disastrous," Gerson Arias, an analyst with the Ideas Para la Paz think tank in Bogotá, was quoted as saying in the Christian Science Monitor.

However, U.S. President George Bush in a statement today said that he "fully supports" Colombia, and accused Venezuela of "provocation." He did not mention Ecuador.

Bush also called on the U.S congress to ratify a free trade agreement with Colombia, which U.S Democrats have been stalling citing Colombia's terrible human rights record.

"By acting at this critical moment we can show the Colombian people and millions across the region that they can count on America to keep its word and that freedom is the surest path to prosperity and peace," he said.

Bush reiterated, "America will continue to stand with Colombia as it confronts violence and terror and fights drug traffickers."

Venezuelan Vice President Ramón Carrizalez Rengifo, said the claims that Venezuela is funding the FARC and that the guerrilla group is planning to make a radioactive bomb are part of a crude campaign to smear Venezuelan President Chavez and an attempt to link the Venezuelan government with weapons of mass destruction. The United States government used this pretext to invade and occupy Iraq and control its oil he pointed out.

Chavez has also accused the Washington, together with Colombia of planning to invade Venezuela, which is the fourth largest supplier of oil to the U.S. and is believed to possess some of the largest untapped oil reserves in the world.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicholas Maduro expressed concern on Sunday that the Colombian military actions in Ecuador could be a prelude to a similar incident on Venezuelan soil saying he had received intelligence to that effect.

"We condemn the intention to translate the disastrous experience of Iraq to the Latin American continent. We cannot allow the warmongers of Colombia to extend the armed conflict in their country and transfer it to the entire continent, " Valero told the OAS meeting.

President Correa also warned of a potential war, "This is not a bilateral problem, it's a regional problem," he told Mexican television. "Should this set a precedent, Latin America will become another Middle East."

Latin American governments have overwhelmingly condemned Colombia's military actions. Argentine President Cristina Fernández, said "the flagrant violation of international law is inadmissible. What has occurred requires an immediate explanation by Colombia that satisfies the Ecuadorian government."

Ecuador asked the OAS to "condemn the territorial and sovereignty violation by one state against another" and asked for an OAS commission to look into Saturday's raid.

Correa has embarked on a five-nation tour to shore up support for the resolution in the OAS condemning Colombia's actions and has also called for an emergency meeting of Latin American foreign ministers by March 11 to resolve the crisis.