Colombian Rebels Target Oil Pipeline

Colombia's ELN rebels declared U.S.-based oil firm Occidental Petroleum, Spanish-Argentine energy group Repsol-YPF and Colombia's Ecopetrol "military targets" Wednesday, and said they would renew a bombing campaign on an oil pipeline that the firms operate.

"From this moment, all property or goods of these companies will be military targets of our organization and whoever works for them is doing so at their own risk," rebel commander Pablo told a small group of reporters, reading from a communiqué.

The rebel army, Colombia's second-largest, also condemned a slated $98 million in aid included in U.S. President George W. Bush's 2003 budget proposal -- earmarked to train and equip Colombian troops to protect the Cano Limon pipeline.

The 120,000 barrel-per-day Cano Limon is Colombia's second-largest oil pipeline, and was bombed a record 170 times last year.

Another rebel group, the Marxist-inspired Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), have also been bombing the pipeline.

The FARC has been fighting a guerrilla war against the government for 38 years. The guerrilla war has claimed 40,000 lives in the past decade.

Colombian President Andres Pastrana will visit President Bush at the White House on April 18.

The two leaders will discuss terrorism, drug trafficking and ways to end the conflict there, a White House official said.

Bush has backed Pastrana in his campaign against the rebels.

The FARC has stepped up attacks on this South American country's infrastructure since peace talks collapsed Feb. 20, targeting bridges, electrical and communications towers and reservoirs, and planting bombs in towns and rural areas.