Chavez breaks ties with Colombia

Venezuela: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that he has been forced to break off relations with Colombia on grounds of dignity, in the face of recent accusations from Bogota against Caracas, and said that he will not accept any violation or aggression of national sovereignty.

The Colombian President is a mafia man full of hatred; I have declared top alert at our borders, said Chavez from Miraflores Palace.

"Out of dignity, we have no option but to break diplomatic relations with the sister nation; I'm announcing it with a tear in my heart," he stressed.

He said he hoped nothing more serious occurs in the few days left to Alvaro Uribe at Casa Narino, Colombia's presidential palace.

He reiterated the hope that the new Government that will assume the Presidency in Colombia August 7 will contribute to re-establishing bilateral dialogue. He challenged the alleged evidence on the presence of Colombian guerrillas in Venezuelan territory, as stated by Bogota at the Organization of American States. Caracas, Prensa Latina