Chavez accuses Colombia of "war crime" after Ecuador raid
Thursday, 06 Mar 2008 10:11
Hugo Chavez accuses Colombia of "war crime" as Ecuadorian and Venezuelan troops are deployed
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has accused Colombia of a "war crime" after it launched a military raid into Ecuador's territory.
Raul Reyes, the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), was killed in the operation last weekend.
His death has seen thousands of Colombian, Venezuelan and Ecuadorian troops deployed along their border.
Bogota claims documents found on a Farc laptop prove Ecuador and Venezuela's links to the left-wing guerrilla group, while Mr Chavez has repeatedly accused his Colombian counterpart of being a liar.
Speaking after a meeting with Rafael Correa, the Ecuadorian president, in Caracas yesterday, Mr Chavez accused Colombia's government of "genocidal" policies.
"We demand condemnation of the Colombian government for this aberrant act," he said.
Reacting to an Organisation of American States (OAS) resolution which confirmed Colombia had violated Ecuadorean sovereignty – but stopped short of outright condemnation – Mr Correa said his government was "not satisfied".
"This isn't going to cool down until the aggressor is condemned," he said.
The US, a long-time foe of Mr Chavez which classifies Farc as a terrorist organisation, is so far the only OAS member to give its firm backing to Colombia.
Washington's support has encouraged Colombian president Alvaro Uribe to lobby the international criminal court (ICC) to try Mr Chavez for alleged "sponsoring and financing genocide".
Newly-elected Argentinean president Cristina Fernandez is due to meet Mr Chavez later today in a bid to prevent the crisis from escalating further.