Chavez accuses Colombia and US of plot

President Hugo Chavez accused Colombia and the United States of plotting to set up a fake rebel camp on Venezuelan soil to discredit his government.

Mr Chavez accused Colombia of preparing what he called a “false positive” operation, saying it’s feasible the neighbouring country could build a makeshift camp in a remote location, then plant corpses and guns to make it look like a rebel camp had been discovered.

Colombian officials said that leftist rebel commanders from their country are taking refuge in Venezuela.

Mr Chavez said the officials are falsely trying to portray him as being in cahoots with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, which Colombia has been battling for decades.

“The verbal war against Venezuela began weeks ago, saying that we have I don’t know how many guerrilla chiefs hidden here ... that in Venezuela there are rebel camps protected by the Venezuelan government, which is absolutely false,” Mr Chavez told troops during a televised speech in the western border state of Zulia.

“We have evidence that the Colombian government, instructed and supported, or rather directed by the United States, is preparing a ’false positive’,” Mr Chavez said.

He said he believes Colombia could bring bodies “to a mountain in Venezuelan territory, build some huts, an improvised camp, put some rifles there ... and say ’There it is, the guerrilla camp in Venezuela’.”

Last year, Colombian troops raided a Farc camp inside Ecuador, killing 25 people including a Farc commander. That attack triggered sharp tensions with Ecuador and Venezuela.