CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez warned Colombia on Saturday it would be a "cause for war" if its forces struck inside Venezuelan territory as they did in Ecuador killing a top Colombian rebel commander there.
"Don't be thinking that you can do that here ... because itwould be extremely serious and would be a causa belli, a causefor war, (if there is) a military incursion in Venezuelanterritory. There's no excuse," Chavez said in his mostbelligerent comments to date in a diplomatic dispute withBogota.
Colombia's military said troops killed Raul Reyes, a leaderof Marxist FARC rebels, during an attack on a jungle camp inEcuador in a severe blow to Latin America's oldest guerrillainsurgency. The operation included air strikes and fightingwith rebels across the border.
Chavez has been at odds with U.S.-backed ColombianPresident Alvaro Uribe over the Venezuelan's mediation with theFARC, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, over therelease of hostages held by the rebels.
The outspoken, anti-U.S. Chavez has called Uribe a pawn ofthe United States in the superpower's plans to attackVenezuela. Colombia and the United States deny the accusationfrom Chavez who regularly says without providing evidence thatWashington is plotting his ouster.
Chavez has withdrawn his ambassador from Bogota and inrecent weeks insulted Uribe during his speeches.
(Reporting by Patricia Rondon; Writing by Saul Hudson;Editing by Peter Cooney)
