Washington: US President George W Bush today accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of backing "terrorists" in neighboring Colombia and fueling an anti-American campaign with his country's oil wealth.

"As it tries to expand its influence in Latin America, the regime claims to promote social justice. In truth its agenda amounts to little more than empty promises and a thirst for power," Bush said in a speech.

"It has squandered its oil wealth in an effort to promote its hostile anti-American vision, it has left its own citizens to face food shortages while it threatens its neighbours," the US president charged.

Bush's sharp criticisms of Chavez came as the White House tried to portray stalled passage of a US-Colombia free trade agreement as critical to curbing the influence of Chavez throughout Latin America.

Bush sharply criticised Chavez s reaction to a March 1 Colombian raid on a rebel camp inside Ecuador that killed a leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) leftist rebel group.

"The president of Venezuela praised the terrorist leader as a good revolutionary and ordered his troops to the Colombian border," the US president said.

"This is the latest step in a disturbing pattern of provocative behavior by the regime in Caracas. He has also called for FARC terrorists to be recognized as a legitimate army, senior regime officials have met with FARC leaders in Venezuela," said Bush.

Source : PTI