Chavez Closes Venezuela's Embassy in Colombia; Orders Troops to Colombia Border

[Beetle]

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez moved tanks to the Colombian border and mobilized fighter jets Sunday, warning Bogota could spark a war after its troops struck inside another of its neighbors, Ecuador.
Reacting to Colombia's killing Saturday of a Colombian rebel over the border in Ecuador, a Venezuelan ally, Chavez also withdrew all of his diplomats from Bogota in the worst dispute between the neighbors since he came to office in 1999.
"Mr. Defense Minister, move me 10 battalions to the frontier with Colombia immediately, tank battalions. The air force should mobilize," Chavez said, adding he will bolster his military's presence along the 1,400-mile border.
"May God spare us a war. But we are not going to allow them violate our sovereign territory," the ex-paratrooper added on his weekly TV show.
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Colombia's military said Saturday troops killed Raul Reyes, a leader of Marxist FARC rebels, during an attack on a jungle camp in Ecuador in a severe blow to Latin America's oldest guerrilla insurgency. The operation included air strikes and fighting with rebels across the frontier.

The anti-U.S. Chavez, who had warned a similar operation in Venezuela would be "cause for war," threatened to send Russian-made fighter jets into U.S. ally Colombia if its troops struck inside his OPEC country.
Colombia had no immediate reaction to Venezuela's military movements. Prior to Chavez's statement, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe denied violating Ecuador's sovereignty, saying the operation was in response to fire from across the border.
But the leftist governments of Venezuela and Ecuador questioned the accuracy of his account. Ecuador withdrew its ambassador in protest.
"Colombia has not violated any sovereignty, only acted in accordance with the principal of legitimate defense," the government said in a statement.
Washington, which backs Uribe's fight against the rebels with its largest military aid outside the Middle East, said it was monitoring developments after Chavez's "odd reaction."
France called for restraint on all sides, saying it underlined the need for the negotiated release of FARC hostages, including the most high-profile captive, French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt.
The FARC said in a statement the killing of one its leaders who had been involved in hostage talks should not affect moves to free captives, according to the Venezuelan government.
CIVIL WAR SPILLOVER
Uribe, who is popular at home for his tough stance against the rebels, has often jousted with neighbors over spillover from the four-decade conflict. But he has managed differences with pragmatism and disputes have rarely moved past rhetoric.
Uribe says rebels take refuge in frontier areas and neighbors urge him to stop violence seeping over borders.
Chavez has been in a diplomatic dispute with Uribe for months over his mediation to free the rebels' hostages. Uribe says Chavez used the talks to meddle in Colombian affairs.
The Venezuelan called the rebel leader's death the "cowardly assassination" of a "good revolutionary."
"I am putting Venezuela on alert and we will support Ecuador in any situation," he said.
Uribe is "a liar, a Mafia boss, a paramilitary who leads a narco-government and leads a government that is a lackey of the United States," Chavez added.
Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue thinktank in Washington and a critic of Chavez, said the Venezuelan was playing with fire even if the spat could distract from his domestic problems such as chronic shortages of some foods.
"It maybe is a measure of how concerned he is about his own domestic support," he said. "I don't know how far he is going to go with this, but it is a risky political action."

[Beetle]

Now, what I want to see is how Hollyweird and people like dingy sheehan react to this. My bet is they call this a just war.

[Jag]

“Mr. Defense Minister, move 10 battalions to the border with Colombia for me, immediately — tank battalions. Deploy the air force,” Chavez said during his weekly TV and radio program. “We don’t want war, but we aren’t going to permit the U.S. empire, which is the master (of Colombia) ... to come divide us.”

Chavez called Colombian President Alvaro Uribe “a criminal,” and branded his government a “terrorist state,” likening it to Israel for its U.S.-backed attacks on militants.

He called Uribe a “lapdog” of Washington, saying “Dracula’s fangs (are) are covered in blood.”

In Texas, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said of Chavez’s latest moves: “This is an odd reaction by Venezuela to Colombia’s efforts against the FARC, a terrorist organization that continues to hold Colombians, Americans and others hostage.”
Colombia did not deny it attacked the FARC on Ecuadorean soil.

These quotes were taken from MSNBC.com...Blame the US http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23435878

Jag

[samizdat]

From his frank remarks, it would appear that Mr. Chavez is not a Gramschi person. He's a bit astounding with his euphamisms, no. satan, lapdog, lackey, shut up.

Hugo wants Mexico. More oil. Lord have mercy!

[Ryan Ruck]

I don't like this one bit. I have said in the past to look for brushfires around the world to flare up that we will have to get involved in lest they turn into infernos. These brushfires will tie us up and wear us down. And they are brushfires started by the TAA with that exact purpose in mind.

One of those places I mentioned was South America with the rapidly growing Communist influence down there. I'd definitely be watching Taiwan (though I don't think there is as much danger there due to the Olympics coming up), India/Pakistan, and Israel as other flash points that could flare up should things get worse in SA.

[American Patriot]

I say "Let's go!"

We need to kick his ass six ways before sunset.

[Beetle]

good idea Rick

we can bust his head and take his shitty oil. And if Hollywierd has anything to say about it, we can bust their heads too.

[Ryan Ruck]

Report: Venezuela Moves 10 Tank Battalions to Colombian Border

Venezuela has nearly completed its deployment of thousands of troops to states along the border with Colombia, a top general said Wednesday.

"Between 85 and 90 percent of the troops are situated," Gen. Jesus Gonzalez Gonzalez told reporters at a news conference, saying soldiers were largely sent to the border states of Zulia, Tachira and Apure.

He said the movement of troops began Sunday, immediately after President Hugo Chavez ordered 10 battalions deployed to the border in response to a Colombian military strike that killed two dozen leftist rebels on Ecuadorean soil.

Those battalions sent to the border region included approximately 9,000 men, retired Gen. Alberto Muller Rojas, a former top aide to Chavez, told The Associated Press.

Chavez also dispatched tanks and ordered an air force deployment, but the military has been tightlipped about specifics of troop movements along the border, which runs 2,200 kilometers (1,370 miles), including stretches through mountains and thick jungle.

If necessary, Venezuela's military is "ready to defend the sacred sovereignty of the homeland," Defense Minister Gen. Gustavo Rangel Briceno said.

No major troop presence was seen by journalists at border crossings Wednesday. National Guard troops stood watch at the main border crossing in San Antonio as usual, as cars passed.

Venezuela's agriculture minister, Elias Jaua, said Tuesday that Venezuela had closed the border to imports and exports. And many trucks with Colombian imports lined up at major border crossings, unable to pass.

But Rangel said Wednesday that "we have received no order to close the border."

Hundreds of troops were seen on Tuesday boarding buses and trucks at the Paramaracay base in the central city of Valencia, headed for the border.

Ecuador has also sent troops to its border with Colombia, denouncing the weekend military strike in its territory as a violation of its sovereignty.

[samizdat]

Raul's laptop revealed that the jefe and hugo have been trading big money favors- Hugo to farc- while Hugo receives honors for negotiating hostage release. That makes Hugo some degree of an accomplice, no? Pay farc. farc terrorizes by intl. kidnapping. Hugo negotiates releases and gets publicity for (barf). The un will love it. meanwhile lulu sends hugo big arms shipment- to the palace- not the defense ministry. I guess lulu wants hugo to be able to use those arms on Venezuelan public or recalcitrant army poblanos.