Meanwhile, Venezuelan Ambassador to the United Nations Jorge Valero on Monday voiced hopes that Colombia will work with Caracas for a peaceful solution to the tensions.

    TROOP REINFORCEMENT

    Venezuela has sent about 1,000 soldiers to the border region to reinforce posts along the border of more than 2,000 km. The soldiers arrived in the border region over the weekend.

    The military of Venezuela have vowed to repel any attacks by Colombia.

    Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cut off diplomatic ties with Colombia on Thursday after Bogota presented to the Organization of American States (OAS) the accusations that some Colombian guerrilla chiefs were in Venezuela.

    Colombia said earlier that Swedish-made weapons bought by Venezuela during the 1980s had ended up in the hands of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, who have been fighting the Bogota government for more than four decades.

    The move further raised tensions between the two neighboring countries after Chavez previously called stronger military ties between Colombia and the United States a threat to his country.

    Colombia announced earlier this month that the United States would use three bases in Colombia to fight drug trafficking.

    Valero also accused the United States and Colombia of "increasing the war in Latin America."

    DIPLOMACY

    Chavez has threatened to cut off oil supplies to the United States if his country was attacked by U.S.-backed Colombia.

    Venezuela is one of the main suppliers of oil to the United States, but it depends on the export of oil for 90 percent of its export earnings.

    Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro on Monday warned of the possibility of Colombia raiding on his country, as he began a tour of seven South American countries.

    Maduro "affirmed that South America is a zone of peace and union, to continue with the liberation project of building the large homeland of Simon Bolivar," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

    Meanwhile, Venezuelan Ambassador to the United Nations Valero on Monday voiced hopes for a peaceful end to the tensions between the two countries.

    "We hope that the new government of Mr. (Juan Manuel) Santos would change their world policy and join the Venezuelan government to find out a peaceful solution," he said.

    Santos was elected president of Colombia on June 21 and was due to take office on Aug. 7.

    Analysts have said Venezuela was leaving the door open for the incoming Colombian president to mend bilateral relations.

    Santos has so far made no comment on the rows between the Venezuelan president and outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

    Nevertheless, the incoming finance minister has said one of the new government's priorities will be to re-establish trade. Colombian Vice President-elect Angelino Garzon also said earlier the new Colombian government would seek "all diplomatic means" to normalize ties with Venezuela.

    Trade between Venezuela and Colombia has suffered after relations between the two countries turned sour since last year, when bilateral trade grew to 8 billion U.S. dollars from 1.5 billion dollars in 2002.

    Colombian Mining and Energy Minister Hernan Martinez said on Monday it will not stop gas supply to Venezuela.

    The Colombian government announced on Monday it will launch a "shock" plan to mitigate the economic impacts of the diplomatic crisis in the border region.

    U.S. State Department spokesman Phillip Crowley said on Monday that the United States has "no intention of engaging a military action against Venezuela," calling on Venezuela to "engage directly."

    Cuba has said it backed Venezuela's rights of self-defense in case of a war.

    UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and leaders in the region have been trying to mediate the crisis between the two countries, with Bolivian President Evo Morales calling on Saturday for an emergency meeting of South American presidents to resolve a stand-off.