Archbishop says Chavez boosts tensions with Colombia by moving troops

Published: 2008-03-04

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) -- A Venezuelan archbishop criticized Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for escalating tensions after Colombian soldiers killed guerrillas on Ecuadorean soil. Chavez "cannot carry the country into an armed conflict just because he feels like it," said Archbishop Roberto Luckert Leon of Coro, whose remarks were reported by Colombian media. "He has to consult with the country." Archbishop Luckert, vice president of the Venezuelan bishops' conference, criticized Chavez for moving troops to the border of Colombia after the March 1 incident. He said Chavez, who has clashed repeatedly with the Catholic Church leadership, was "exacerbating Venezuelan nationalism over a confrontation which is not our own." The Colombian military killed Luis Devia Silva, known as Raul Reyes, the second in command of Colombia's largest guerrilla group, together with 16 other guerrillas. It was the Colombian military's hardest blow against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which has fought for more than four decades to overthrow Colombia's elected governments.

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