Threat of Conflict in South America

CUCUTA, COLOMBIA, March 5, 2008 — -- Venezuela and Ecuador took their growingconflict with Colombia to the diplomatic front, seekinginternational condemnation on Wednesday of Colombia's deadlyassault on a rebel base in Ecuador.

The two countries tightened their borders and were deployingthousands of troops, while Colombia on Tuesday pointed to documentsfound in a slain rebel leader's laptop that it claimed was proof ofstunning links between the leftist guerrillas and Venezuelan leaderHugo Chavez.

Ecuador rejected a Colombian apology for the cross-border strikeas insufficient, and sought to rally opposition during an emergencymeeting of the Organization of American States that was called tohelp defuse one of South America's most volatile crises in years.

The OAS ambassadors struggled over wording of a resolution onTuesday, but Ecuador and Colombia finally reached agreement onWednesday, said Colombian Ambassador Camilo Ospina. He said thedocument, to be released later, included a call for a commissionheaded by Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza to ease tensions.

At Venezuela's border with Colombia, National Guard troopsturned back Colombian cargo trucks under orders from Caracas. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa began a six-nation tour inPeru and Brazil, calling Colombian President Alvaro Uribe a liarwho "wanted war." Correa warned that if the attack goesunpunished, "the region will be in danger, because the next victimcould be Peru, it could be Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, any one ofour countries."

At the moment, it's mostly a war of words, and other nationshave tried to keep it that way, although many said Colombia waswrong to send troops into Ecuador. The military assault on Saturdaykilled 24 guerrillas, including Colombian rebel spokesman RaulReyes, who was engaged in hostage talks with Venezuela, France andother countries.

President Bush backed Colombia and accused Chavez of"provocative maneuvers." Uribe said Chavez should be prosecuted before the InternationalCriminal Court for allegedly financing the Revolutionary ArmedForces of Colombia, or FARC. Uribe said documents found in a laptopseized in Reyes' camp showed Venezuela recently made a $300 millionpayment to the rebels.

Venezuela dismissed the allegations as lies and Foreign MinisterNicolas Maduro said the idea of prosecuting Chavez was"laughable." Justice Minister Ramon Rodiguez Chacin said the handof Washington was behind Colombia's actions, declaring: "Our enemyis the empire."

Colombia also accused the rebels of trying to make a radioactivedirty bomb, although the documents it shared with reporters do notsupport that allegation, indicating instead that the rebelsdiscussed the possibility of buying uranium to resell at a profit.

In Brazil, Correa speculated late Tuesday that Colombia targetedReyes "to prevent a deal for the liberation of the hostages fromgoing forward."

The FARC freed four hostages last week, and Chavez had pledgedto try to win freedom for others, including French-Colombianpolitician Ingrid Betancourt.

The rebels said Tuesday that Reyes died "completing a missionto arrange, through President Chavez, a meeting" with FrenchPresident Nicolas Sarkozy aimed at securing Betancourt's release.

Colombia's attack on the camp just over a mile inside Ecuadorreflected its frustration over the ability of rebels to take refugeacross poorly patrolled borders.

Uribe said he would not allow his nation to be drawn into war. Venezuela was sending about 9,000 soldiers - 10 battalions - tothe border region as a "preventive" measure, retired Gen. AlbertoMuller Rojas, a former top Chavez aide, told The Associated Press.

Ecuador said it sent 3,200 troops to the border on Monday. Venezuela's agriculture minister, Elias Jaua, said Venezuela hadclosed the border, which sees annual trade worth roughly $5billion, to imports and exports.

Leonardo Mendez, a spokesman for a Colombian cargo transportassociation, said some 300 vehicles, including trucks carryingfood, shoes, ceramics and other products, were stuck at one majorborder crossing.

Despite the shrill rhetoric from the Andean governments, therewas little sign of tension in several border towns apart from theturning away of trucks.

Contenting themselves by calling Chavez "crazy", Colombiantruckers lounged in the shade drinking beer and saying they hopethe crisis will not persist long.

When the border is open, some 9,400 tons of merchandise crosseach day between Colombia and Venezuela in both directions, saidJaime Sorzano, head of the cargo transport association. "In the past, we've had episodes, problems, but like thiscrisis, no," he said. "It's unprecedented." --- Associated Press writers Frank Bajak and Vivian Sequera inBogota, Colombia; Nestor Ikeda in Washington; Marco Sibaja inBrasilia, Brazil; Alan Clendenning in Sao Paulo, Brazil; AndrewWhalen in Lima, Peru; Christopher Toothaker in San Antonio, Venezuela, and Fabiola Sanchez, Jorge Rueda and Ian James inCaracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.