Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said the deadly Colombian raid carried out in Ecuador was a "war crime," and sent 10 tank battalions toward the Colombian border on Wednesday.

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, left, and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez met in Caracas on Wednesday to discuss a deadly Colombian raid.
(Fernando Llano/Associated Press)

"We demand condemnation of the Colombian government for this aberrant act," Chavez said in Caracas, where he was joined at a press conference with Ecuador President Rafael Correa.

The troop buildup was confirmed by Venezuelan Gen. Jesus Gonzalez earlier on Wednesday. He said it started on the weekend, and almost all of the battalions are in place. The Associated Press reported the battalions, ordered by Chavez, include 9,000 soldiers.

The Venezuelan deployment comes after Colombia killed a top rebel leader and 24 others on a guerrilla base inside Ecuador on Saturday. Tensions in the three Andean nations have been high ever since, with some analysts saying the incident and its aftermath represents one of South America's most volatile crises in years.

Ecuador ordered troops to the Colombian border earlier this week, while Colombia has said it won't send troops to either border in response.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe claims documents found during that raid, which killed Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia leader Raul Reyes, indicate Chavez's government recently gave $300 million to the rebel group.

Colombia says the documents, found on Reyes' laptop, show Chavez's links to the group dated back more than a decade. The rebel group has been at war with Colombia's U.S.-aligned government for five decades.

Uribe has called on the International Criminal Court to prosecute Chavez for allegedly funding FARC.

Chavez on Wednesday laughed at the suggestion his government funds the rebels, and denied the accusation.  

OAS resolution criticizes raid

In a bid to ease tensions, the Organization of American States approved a watered-down resolution Wednesday that called the raid a violation of Ecuadorean sovereignty. But Correa said the resolution, which doesn't explicitly condemn the assault, doesn't go far enough.

"We are pleased, but not satisfied," he said at the press conference with Chavez. "This isn't going to cool down until the aggressor is condemned."

"We are using all the peaceful and diplomatic channels available for the international community to condemn the aggressor."

The OAS has agreed to have its secretary general, José Miguel Insulza, lead a delegation to Ecuador and Colombia to ease tensions.

Ecuador has previously rejected a Colombian apology for the cross-border strike as insufficient.

With files from the Associated Press