Colombia’s Foreign Ministry Sunday denied Venezuelan accusations that
Colombian soldiers had been spotted on Venezuelan territory.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday said on national television Colombian soldiers had crossed the border and were conducting operations on the Venezuelan side of the Orinoco river, that forms part of the 1,400-miles-long border between the countries. Chavez called the alleged incursion “another” provocation of his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe.
Colombia responded the Defense Ministry had contacted the army’s 28th brigade, in charge of patrolling the Orinoco river, and was told no soldiers had crossed the river.
Hours before Venezuela accused its western neighbor of the incursion, Colombian troops arrested eleven members of the Ecuadorean military who were found 300 yards inside Colombian territory. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa is an ally of Chavez. Both countries have strain relations with Colombia.