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Chavez freezes ties with Colombia | Chavez freezes ties with Colombia |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Venezuela is withdrawing its ambassador from neighbouring Colombia and freezing relations, following a dispute over weapons supplied to Colombian rebels. | Venezuela is withdrawing its ambassador from neighbouring Colombia and freezing relations, following a dispute over weapons supplied to Colombian rebels. |
President Hugo Chavez, who announced the move on Venezuelan TV, also said he was halting trade deals with Colombia. | President Hugo Chavez, who announced the move on Venezuelan TV, also said he was halting trade deals with Colombia. |
The announcement came a day after the Colombia government said weapons bought by Venezuela from Sweden had made their way to left-wing Farc guerrillas. | The announcement came a day after the Colombia government said weapons bought by Venezuela from Sweden had made their way to left-wing Farc guerrillas. |
Mr Chavez denied this and accused Colombia of acting "irresponsibly". | Mr Chavez denied this and accused Colombia of acting "irresponsibly". |
"I've ordered to withdraw our ambassador from Bogota," the Venezuelan leader said on Tuesday. "We will freeze relations with Colombia," he added. | "I've ordered to withdraw our ambassador from Bogota," the Venezuelan leader said on Tuesday. "We will freeze relations with Colombia," he added. |
Base row | |
As well as a diplomatic freeze, Mr Chavez warned trade relations would also be frozen. | |
Venezuela, he said, would substitute imports from Colombia - which currently account for about a third of the country's trade - with goods from other countries, notably Brazil and Ecuador. | |
On Monday, the Colombian government said its troops had recovered Swedish anti-tank weapons in a raid on a Farc camp. The Caracas government denied supplying them. | |
The Swedish authorities have launched an inquiry into how the Farc had acquired the weapons. | The Swedish authorities have launched an inquiry into how the Farc had acquired the weapons. |
The Marxist rebels have been fighting the Bogota government since the 1960s. | The Marxist rebels have been fighting the Bogota government since the 1960s. |
The BBC's Will Grant in Caracas said the dispute between the two neighbours comes as Colombia prepares to allow the US to use four military bases on its soil, a move which has angered Venezuela. | |
Mr Chavez says it is part of an effort by Washington to turn Colombia into the "Israel of Latin America". |