Thanks for those links. From the second article:
"...Chavez has reduced Venezuela's military ties with Washington and forged a political alliance with communist Cuba, and says Venezuela needs to beef up security along its 1,400 mile (2,200 km) border with Colombia to stop a war there from spreading.
Colombian military commanders have accused Chavez of collaborating with Colombian Marxist rebels, a charge he has angrily denied..."
IMO, I don't think we can trust Chavez any further than we can throw him.
Nor any further than we can throw Venezuela.