Venezuela said Friday it won't allow Colombian troops to hunt down leftist rebels hiding out in its territory, but pledged to boost military cooperation to curb the flow of guerillas, arms and drugs across the two nations' porous border. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez made the comments after discussing the tense situation along the 1,400-mile (2,200 kilometer) border with his Colombian counterpart, Carolina Barco, during a visit to Bogota, AP reported. «We cannot allow them (Colombian troops) to pursue» rebels in Venezuela, Rodriguez told a news conference. He said such a move had been discussed, but that «what is needed is good military cooperation ... to carry out specific operations.» Colombian officials say a massive, U.S.-backed government offensive has forced fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to seek refuge in neighboring countries _ where they are forging ties with local criminal gangs to commit crimes. «The guerrillas have no borders and they can kidnap anywhere in the world,» Colombian President Alvaro Uribe told Caracol radio on Friday.
