Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Tuesday said Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos is "a minister for war."

"I want to believe that (Colombian President Álvaro) Uribe's doctrine is not the same as Santos'; that minister is as minister for war. (Santos) thinks we are his enemies," said Chávez in a press conference held in presidential palace of Miraflores.

"The Colombian Defense minister, as if nothing had happened at the OAS and the Rio Summit, just said yesterday (Sunday, March 23) that Colombia carried out a lawful warfare against Ecuador, and he added that they are even ready to go to anyplace to look for terrorists in a similar operation," said Chávez as quoted by state news agency ABN.

"The main culprit is the Colombian Government; I am not talking only about Uribe, but other factors as well, such as the hand of the Empire. Every conflict has a main source: the US Empire," added Chávez.