Colombia rejects Venezuela border incursion charge

Venezuela over the weekend accused 60 Colombian soldiers ofentering its territory in what Caracas said was a provocationthat aimed to destabilize the region.

The tension exacerbates sharp divisions in the Andes, whereColombian President Alvaro Uribe is a close Washington ally andVenezuela's Hugo Chavez a purveyor of anti-U.S. sentiment.

"There has been no incursion," Colombian Defense MinisterJuan Manuel Santos told local radio, saying a river in the areawould have prevented troops crossing. "It would have beenpractically impossible for it to happen as they say."

Tension has simmered since Colombia raided inside Ecuadorand killed a rebel leader in March. After Ecuador broke offrelations, Chavez ordered tanks to the porous border that cutsthrough jungle and mountains to support his leftist ally.

Venezuela said the incursion occurred on Friday, a dayafter Chavez said he would review diplomatic and trade tieswith Colombia following an Interpol probe that helped reinforcecharges that he supports Colombia's Marxist FARC guerrillas.

Colombian and U.S. officials say documents and files foundon the captured computer of the slain rebel leader show thatChavez and Ecuadorean leader Rafael Correa have providedsupport to the rebels, who U.S. officials labelcocaine-smuggling terrorists.

Chavez and Correa have dismissed these accusations asU.S.-inspired propaganda.

Despite occasional brinkmanship, fiery rhetoric and therisk of military missteps on the border, analysts say openconflict is highly unlikely. There is heavy cross-border tradeamong the three Andean countries.

Incidents along the Venezuelan and Colombia frontier arecommon as the rugged territory makes it hard to define exactlywhere the frontier is located in some spots.

Earlier this year a Venezuelan patrol got lost aftercrossing over in the north of the country. They were helpedback into Venezuela by Colombian authorities.

(Reporting by Patrick Markey, editing by Alan Elsner)