Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos said yesterday he saw no risk of war with Venezuela or Ecuador despite military mobilization in a dispute over Colombian FARC rebels.
"I don't think there is a risk of war. The Colombian government has been very clear it won't use force," Santos said in an interview during a visit to Brussels for talks with EU officials. "It won't fall into the game of provocation."
Venezuela deployed tanks and air and sea forces towards the Colombian border on Wednesday in what it called a defensive move after a weekend raid by Colombian forces killed a FARC leader inside another South American neighbour, Ecuador.
The Organization of American States said on Wednesday that Colombia had violated international law but stopped short of condemning Bogata for the action.
Santos said Colombia was justified in launching the raid because it had repeatedly asked Ecuador, as well as Venezuela, in vain to take action against FARC camps on their territory.
Colombia has apologized to Ecuador for crossing the border but said the incursion was necessary because its troops came under fire from inside the country.
Quito wants a fuller apology from Bogota and guarantees that Colombia will not cross the border again.
Santos said his government was prepared to take further measures to solve the situation on condition that the FARC is not allowed to set up camps close to Colombia's borders.
"The Colombian government is ready to do whatever is needed to sort out the situation but on one fundamental, clear and concrete condition - that there should be no support nor camps on the other sides of the borders," he said.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said a serious diplomatic crisis with Colombia will mean reduced trade between the two countries and he will consider government takeovers of Colombian companies in Venezuela.
Venezuela will seek goods from other countries to replace products it gets in its $6 billion annual commercial exchange with Colombia, Chavez said.
"We're going to make a map, ministers, of the Colombian businesses here in Venezuela. We could nationalize some, take them over, we aren't interested in Colombian investments here," Chavez said at a joint news conference in Caracas with Ecuador President Rafael Correa.
Chavez made similar threats against Spanish companies in a diplomatic confrontation with that country last year, but the reprisals never materialized.
Colombia, backed by the United States but condemned by most Latin American leaders, accuses Ecuador and Venezuela of harboring the FARC rebels.
Chavez also said that Venezuelan investments in Colombia could be sold off.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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