MADRID, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Wednesday called on Venezuela not to allow FARC rebels to cross into its territory, in the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the two Andean neighbours. Colombia's armed forces have long believed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) took refuge across the Venezuelan border, but Uribe's words on Tuesday were unusually strong coming from a Colombian government official. Asked about FARC presence in Venezuela at a lunch with Spanish businessmen in Madrid, Uribe replied: "When these bandits come under pressure from our armed forces, they take advantage of our neighbours. What I say to our neighbours, is that they don't allow themselves to be taken advantage of." Relations between close U.S. ally Uribe and Venezuela's left-wing President Hugo Chavez have become extremely tense following a deal brokered by Chavez which led to the FARC releasing two out of dozens of hostages held in the jungle. The conservative Uribe has accused Chavez of meddling and the Venezuelan president has called the Colombian a U.S. pawn and said Bogota has joined a U.S. plot to kill him. The FARC has been fighting for Marxist revolution for more than four decades, as part of a complicated war also involving far-right paramilitaries in which tens of thousands of Colombians have been killed. While it began as a communist peasant militia, the FARC's power surged during the 1990s due to drug smuggling, the Colombian government says. The rebels, who have nominal public support according to opinion polls, only admit to "taxing" growers of the coca leaf used to make cocaine. Their other main source of income is kidnapping for ransom. The United States accused Venezuela last week of become a haven for drug traffickers. Uribe has been visiting Spain and France in order to promote investment and trade ties and garner support for his tough security policies. (Reporting by Jason Webb; Editing by Charles Dick)
Chained demonstrators participate in a march to demand the release of hostages held by The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in Neiva, January 23, 2008. REUTERS/La Nacion (COLOMBIA) ...
