Ecuador rejects harboring Colombia's rebel chief

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion on Friday denied that the chief of Colombia's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was hiding in Ecuador, terming the criticism baseless.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Friday blamed the FARC for a car bombing at a military academy in the Colombian capital of Bogota on Thursday, noting that the FARC chief was hiding in one of Ecuador's tropical jungles, and was involved in producing and smuggling drugs.

Carrion rejected Uribe's remarks, saying Ecuadorian security forces have adopted effective measures against Colombia's rebels who cross the borders illegally.

Ecuador and Colombia share a land border of over 580 km. Since the beginning of this year, Ecuador has blamed Colombia's military for infringing on its territory. The bilateral relations were once strained when Colombia's military had accidentally injured Ecuadorian border residents several times, in the pursuit of rebels.

Source: Xinhua