Venezuela recalls ambassador to Colombia

Venezuela has recalled its envoy to Colombia and suspended all diplomatic relations with the country in response to Bogota’s accusations that Caracas is helping the FARC Marxist guerillas.

“In view of this new aggression by the government of Colombia, I have ordered the withdrawal of our ambassador to Bogota,” Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday.

Bogota accuses Caracas of providing the rebels with weapons.

Chavez also blamed the government of President Alvaro Uribe of acting “irresponsibly.”

He says at present Colombia has no evidence that Venezuela delivered the Swedish-made anti-tank rocket launchers to FARC rebels that Colombia found recently.

Chavez warned that his administration will go ahead with a plan to cut off all diplomatic relations “if there’s one more accusation against Venezuela.”

The weapons in question are the AT4 light anti-tank weapon made by Sweden’s Saab Bofors Dynamics.

Sweden has confirmed that the weapons originally were sold to Venezuela’s military.

“We have asked the officials of the government of Venezuela to give us information on how they believe this material was found in Colombia,” said Jens Eriksson, a political advisor to the Swedish Ministry of Commerce.