The United States "categorically rejects" the names Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro used to refer to US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, whom he called "a little official with a criminal record," said US delegate to the Organization of American States Héctor Morales.

"We are categorically rebutting the Venezuelan characterization of Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte," Morales told the 38th OAS General Assembly in Medellín, northwest Colombia.

Maduro on Monday told reporters that Negroponte was "a little official with a criminal record," and then before the plenary session he accused Washington of sponsoring a campaign to "spread violence in the region," AFP quoted.

Maduro was reacting to Negroponte's remarks on Monday that the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) "sought refuge in Venezuela." Without naming Venezuela, Negroponte asked Colombia's neighbors to help prevent rebels from taking shelter in their soil.