Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said he talked to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez today about strains caused by a Spanish judge who suggested Venezuela had links to rebel groups.
Spain invoked Chavez's ire by asking for an explanation of the judge's accusations that Venezuela had helped Basque Eta rebels and Colombian Farc guerrillas plot possible attacks on Spanish soil.
"What I did was get in touch with the Venezuelan authorities, with President Chavez ... and ask them to clear up and give information about this situation," Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told reporters today.
"They denied any type of involvement and pledged their cooperation with Spanish courts and authorities," he added.
In his 11-year rule of the South American oil-exporter, Mr Chavez has been dogged by accusations from foes of supporting groups like the Farc or Lebanon's Hezbollah.
He has denied the charges, claiming they are part of a US-led strategy to discredit him.
Spain's High Court Judge Eloy Velasco said the meetings, including one in 2007, led to the Farc asking Eta for logistical help in case it tried to assassinate Colombian officials visiting Spain, including President Alvaro Uribe.
Mr Velasco issued arrest warrants for 13 Farc and Eta suspects, including one Spanish-born employee of the Venezuelan government.
Mr Velasco's accusations are based on information gleaned from a laptop obtained by the Colombian government after a bombing raid on a guerrilla camp in Ecuador in 2008 that killed the Farc's number 2 commander, Raul Reyes.
Venezuela says the information on the laptops was tampered with by the Colombians.
The Marxist-inspired Farc has killed thousands of people in a decades-old war to overthrow the Colombian government.
Eta has killed more than 850 people, fighting for independence for the Basque Country.
Reuters