MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez freezes diplomatic and trade relations with Colombia

Claims of Venezuelan arms in a FARC camp triggered the latest incident

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez froze diplomatic relations with neighboring Colombia, citing verbal “aggressions” from that country. The announcement Tuesday on national television follows declarations from the Colombian government that anti-tank weapons purchased by Venezuela from Sweden ended up in the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Chavez recalled Venezuela's ambassador to Colombia, as well as most of its staff. “In view of this new aggression by the government of Colombia I have ordered the withdrawal of our ambassador to Bogota” said Chavez on national television. “We will freeze relations with Colombia”.

Chavez also threatened to take over Colombian companies operating in Venezuela. If Colombia offends Venezuela one more time, he said “the Colombian companies here will be expropriated.”

Colombia's claims are “mistaken,” added Chavez, who called the country's leaders “irresponsible.”

The move also threatens to suspend billions of dollars in trade since Colombia is Venezuela’s main regional partner and an important supplier of food.

Tensions have risen dramatically in recent weeks between Caracas and Bogota, notably over Colombia's announcement that it had agreed to a new pact with the United States to allow it to use military bases to conduct anti-drug operations.

Meanwhile officials in Stockholm confirmed that some arms produced in Sweden and sold to Venezuela were found in a FARC camp in Colombia, and the Swedish government called on Caracas to explain how the weapons wound up in the hands of the rebels.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said Caracas would respond “at the appropriate time” to the “new lies” being levelled at Chavez's government. Maduro said Colombia was trying to “place the blame on foreigners” for a conflict “that the authorities in Bogota have the responsibility to resolve.”

The dispute over the FARC weapons is the latest spat in an increasingly dangerous friction between Venezuela and Colombia, a close US ally in the region. Chavez's new call to freeze ties comes a day after he announced an enhanced military partnership with ally Russia.

Meanwhile Chavez confirmed the purchase of Russian-made BMP3, MPR and T-72 tanks to replace Venezuela's obsolete fleet of armoured vehicles and to reinforce the country's border with Colombia.