WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is seeing little evidence that Venezuela is moving forces to the border with Colombia in numbers that would be cause for concern, a senior US defense official said Wednesday.
"There is not as much to it as has been reported," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it touched on intelligence matters.
A second defense official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were credible reports that mechanized elements were moving out of a major Venezuelan military base in the city of Valencia, which is in the center of the country.
The official said that preparations for deployment have been reported but Venezuelan forces were just starting to move.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday ordered 10 batallions -- around 6,000 men -- to the border with Colombia, along with tanks and warplanes, after Colombian forces killed a top guerrilla leader in a cross-border raid into Ecuador.
Venezuelan General Jesus Gregorio Gonzalez said Wednesday that the forces were 85 to 90 percent in place.
But the senior US defense official said the buildup -- "or lack of it" -- had raised no major concerns in the Pentagon.
jm/sg
03/05/2008 16:09 GMT