US calls on Venezuela to clarify ties with Colombian rebels

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Washington on Tuesday called on Caracas to explain its relationship with leftist Colombian rebels, following the discovery of information suggesting that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is actively supporting the guerrillas.

Thomas Shannon, the top US State Department official in charge of Latin America, said that he was "surprised" by the negative reaction from Venezuela and Ecuador to a "neutral" report from Interpol on the authenticity of computer data found on laptops and flash drives captured from rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Bogota says the email messages and documents found in the 38,000 seized computer files prove close links between the FARC -- which Washington considers a terrorist group -- and the...