Non-Subscriber ExtractColombia anticipates clash with Venezuela |
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17 November 2009
A Venezuelan soldier stands behind a map showing where troops have been deployed along the Colombian border in Cedeno, Venezuela, on 5 November 2009. (PA)
Relations between Chávez and Colombian President Álvaro Uribe reached a nadir in early November. Intelligence sources in Bogotá have told Jane's that Colombian officials believe the risk of an armed clash with Venezuela by mid-2010 is real. Bilateral commerce has already fallen victim to the tensions, and in September was down by 49.5 per cent year-on-year.
This latest spat was triggered by the 30 October signing of a 10-year bilateral defence agreement between the United States and Colombia, giving the US increased access to seven military bases in Colombia for counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism co-operation. Yet anti-US Chávez claims that the "imperialist" US wishes to use Colombia as a beach-head to potentially invade Venezuela.