Western Hemisphere
Former Cuban President Fidel Castro described on Thursday as a "slanderous Yankee accusation" the assumption that there could be a war between Venezuela and Colombia, saying that President Chávez is "reluctant" to ignite an armed conflict.

"I know Chávez very well. He would be the last one to provoke a conflict where Venezuelan or Colombian blood could be shed," said the first Secretary of the ruling Cuban Communist Party (PCC) in his Op-ed "Reflections by comrade Fidel," published in Cuban media, DPA reported.

In his column entitled "Bolivarian Revolution and Peace," Castro describes the Colombian "paramilitaries as "shock troops of imperialism," and accused the United States of fueling tensions between Venezuela and Colombia, Washington's main ally in the region.

"Colombian paramilitaries are the first shock troops of imperialism to fight the Bolivarian Revolution," said the former Cuban President, defending the Venezuela's leader.