Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said Sunday he would respond militarily if Colombia crossed the Venezuelan border while chasing left wing guerrillas. The leftist leader told his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe to watch out for the extreme right instead.
Chávez responded to remarks by Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, who said the cross-border attack on a FARC camp a year ago was “legitimate self defense”. The attack killed the guerrillas’ number two Raul Reyes and 25 others.
“Watch out, President Uribe, watch out with this flow of Colombian far right, watch out, because I don’t even want to think of what happens if Minister Santos does in Venezuela what they did in Ecuador. Unfortunately and with pain in my soul I would send the Sukhoi airplanes. I would send them immediately just like our tanks. I will not allow the sovereignty and the dignity of Venezuela to be disrespected,” the Venezuelan Head of State said Sunday.
Chávez reiterated that the Venezuelan Government considers Santos a threat to Venezuela and “represents the most fascist of Latin American oligarchies (…) that wants to turn our dear, beloved sisterly Colombia in the Israel of Latin America.”
The Venezuelan Head of State called on U.S. President Barack Obama to “dismantle the machine” that wants to create conflicts in the region. “the far right military powers are behind all of this. For them a war between Colombia and Venezuela or Colombia and Ecuador would be perfect.I hope Obama is able to dismantle this demonic machine that he commands now. I hope he doesn’t allow himself to be swallowed by the machine, for the sake of the world and humanity.”