Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has threatened to cut off oil supplies to the US if it were to back a Colombian military attack on Venezuela, warning Washington to stay out of the fray.
Chavez broke off diplomatic relations with Bogota on Thursday in response to charges by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that 1,500 Colombian guerrillas had set up camp inside Venezuela and were launching attacks from its territory.
The firebrand leftist president said on Sunday he had intelligence that “the possibility of an armed aggression against Venezuelan territory from Colombia” was higher than it has been “in 100 years.”
If Colombia were to launch an attack “promoted by the Yankee empire, we would suspend oil deliveries to the United States, even if everybody over here has to eat stones,” he warned.
“We wouldn’t send even a single drop of oil” to the US, he said.
The US is the No. 1 consumer of oil from Venezuela, a member of the OPEC and South America’s largest oil producer and exporter.
Chavez, who has been highly critical of a US-Colombian military base deal struck last year, called the US “the great instigator” behind Venezuela’s current conflict with Colombia. About 20,000 Venezuelan troops deployed along the 2,000km border with Colombia have been placed under “maximum alert,” according to military officials.
The US on Friday threw its support behind its key ally Colombia in its latest row with Venezuela, calling Chavez’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Colombia and put border troops on alert “a petulant response” to Bogota’s accusations.
Chavez on Sunday hinted at a possible easing of tensions with Colombia when president-elect Juan Manuel Santos replaces Uribe on Aug. 7.
But in an op-ed piece published in several newspapers, the Venezuelan leader warned that his country “must get clear and unambiguous signs that Colombia’s new government has real political will to resume the path of dialogue.”
Santos, who is on a tour of Latin America, has refused to comment on the crisis, referring the matter to the outgoing president.
Venezuela “will present a peace proposal to Colombia” at Thursday’s meeting in Quito of the Union of South American Nations, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said.
Chavez also announced on Sunday he would cancel a planned trip to Cuba in light of the crisis.
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