(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-05 10:29

BOGOTA -- Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe said on Tuesday his country plans to launch a case against his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez in the International Courts of Justice for his alleged financing of rebels in Colombia.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez speaks during his weekly broadcast 'Alo Presidente' in Caracas March 2, 2008. [Agencies]

"In this difficult time, citizens who are firm opponents of terror and its sponsors will go to the International Courts of Justice to charge Chavez for sponsoring and financing genocide," Uribe told local media.

Uribe said Chavez backs the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Colombia's largest guerrilla group which is listed as a terrorist organization by both the European Union and the United States.

"We don't need a pate on the back for expressing our regrets while we shelter butchers," Uribe said.

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Uribe aims for the court to rule that Chavez is a war criminal, which will in turn force the international community to impose sanctions aiming to force Chavez, a left-winger, from power.

On Sunday, Chavez told local media that Uribe is being used as a cat's paw by the United States to attack Latin America's left-wing governments, adding that Uribe had made Colombia into South America's Israel.

Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador have been at odds as a result of a Saturday raid by Colombian police and military on a FARC camp in Ecuador, which killed 21 rebels, including the FARC's number two Edgar Devia, better known by his alias Raul Reyes.

On Monday, Ecuador and Venezuela both condemned the action, sent armed forces to their border with Colombia, and ended diplomatic relations with Colombia.

Oscar Naranjo, head of Colombia's police, said earlier on Tuesday computers belonging to dead rebels in Ecuador had evidence linking Chavez to the FARC. According to Naranjo, Chavez had invited the FARC to make oil investments according to four emails sent by a rebel leader whose alias is Ivan Marquez.

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa told media that what he described as "Uribe's lies" will be exposed by the international community. He added that Colombian forces had clearly violated Ecuador's sovereignty.

In December 2004, Colombia kidnapped a FARC guerrilla in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, and in May 2004, 85 Colombian paramilitary were arrested close to Caracas. Venezuela's government said at that time that Uribe had sent the paramilitaries in a bid to destabilize the Chavez government.