Venezuela mobilizes forces to Colombia border

By Brian Ellsworth

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela deployed tanks and air and sea forces toward the Colombian border on Wednesday in its first major military mobilization in a crisis that has raised fears for regional stability.

Venezuela's military said it started sending 10 tank battalions toward the border and activated its air force and navy. Military analysts estimates such a mobilization could include more than 200 tanks.

The action escalated tensions over Colombia's weekend raid to kill rebels inside another South American neighbour, Ecuador, which Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an ally of leftist Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, said could spark war.

While Ecuador and Venezuela have poured soldiers toward their borders with U.S.-backed Colombia in recent days, Wednesday's movements were the first signs of heavy firepower being mobilized.

Colombia said it would not deploy extra forces and governments worldwide urged the nations to defuse tensions as Venezuela and the United States blamed each other for the intensifying crisis.

"The empire and its lapdogs are war. We are the road to peace," Chavez said in a brief reference to the dispute during a speech on education he made wearing a military uniform.

The crisis pits OPEC nations Venezuela and Ecuador against Colombia, which receives billions of dollars in U.S. military aid and has received public backing from President George W. Bush in the crisis.

On Wednesday, the United States questioned why Venezuela is involved in a dispute Colombia and Ecuador should work out on their own, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.