No risk of war with neighbors: Colombian official
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos said on Thursday he saw no risk of war with Venezuela or Ecuador despite military mobilization in a dispute over Colombian FARC rebels.
"I don't think there is a risk of war. The Colombian government has been very clear it won't use force," Santos told Reuters in an interview during a visit to Brussels for talks with EU officials. "It won't fall into the game of provocation."
Venezuela deployed tanks and air and sea forces towards the Colombian border on Wednesday in what it called a defensive move after a weekend raid by Colombian forces killed a FARC leader inside another South American neighbor, Ecuador.
The Organization of American States said on Wednesday that Colombia had violated international law but stopped short of condemning Bogata for the action.
Santos said Colombia was justified in launching the raid because it had repeatedly asked Ecuador, as well as Venezuela, in vain to take action against FARC camps on their territory.
Colombia has apologized to Ecuador for crossing the border but said the incursion was necessary because its troops came under fire from inside the country.
Quito wants a fuller apology from Bogota and guarantees that Colombia will not cross the border again.
Santos told Reuters his government was prepared to take further measures to solve the situation on condition that the FARC is not allowed to set up camps close to Colombia's borders.
"The Colombian government is ready to do whatever is needed to sort out the situation but on one fundamental, clear and concrete condition -- that there should be no support nor camps on the other sides of the borders," he said.
(Reporting by William Schomberg, editing by Paul Taylor)
