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Rafael Correa canceled a visit to Cuba to deal with the crisis at home.
Venezuela and Ecuador moved their armies to the Colombian border and shut down their embassies in Bogota, as tensions soared over Colombia's cross-border killing of a top Colombian FARC rebel in Ecuador.

Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa said on television late yesterday he had "decided on the immediate expulsion" of Colombia's ambassador in Ecuador, Carlos Holguin, and had ordered "the deployment of troops to the northern border."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said yesterday he was also sending troops, tanks and fighter aircraft to his country's border with Colombia.

Mr. Correa and Mr. Chavez' fiery words followed a Colombian army raid Saturday on a jungle camp just inside Ecuador of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Colombia's largest leftist rebel group. The attack killed FARC's second in command Raul Reyes.

Mr. Correa at first had reacted calmly when told about the raid by telephone by his Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, whose government claims the raid did not violate Ecuador's sovereignty because it was in "legitimate defence."

But Mr. Correa became angry when he got the full report. "The bodies were in their underclothes, in pyjamas. In other words, there was no hot pursuit; they were bombed and massacred in their sleep."

Colombia's Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo read a statement to Ecuador yesterday extending Bogota's "apology for the actions it had to take in the border area," saying its military needed to locate "the place from where it took fire."

Mr. Araujo said Mr. Reyes "directed operations" against Colombia "from Ecuadoran territory without that government's consent," adding that Colombia was ready to compensate any Ecuadoran citizen who may have been affected by the military attacks.

Mr. Uribe's spokesman later accused Mr. Correa of making commitments to the FARC. He said that documents in computers blonging to Mr. Reyes found after the attack showed "that ... Correa has a relationship and commitments with the FARC."

Mr. Chavez, meanwhile, said Ecuador "can count on Venezuela for whatever it needs, in any situation."

"We don't want war," said Mr. Chavez, "but we won't let the Empire (U.S.) or its lap dog President Uribe to try to make us weaker."

Mr. Chavez also ordered his foreign minister to "shut down our embassy in Bogota and tell all our officials to come home."

A White House spokesman expressed surprised by Mr. Chavez's strong statements.

"This is an odd reaction by Venezuela to Colombia's efforts against the FARC, a terrorist organization that continues to hold Colombians, Americans and others hostage," said Gordon Johndroe.

(www.canada.com)



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