UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Venezuela asked the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to put Colombia’s armed conflict on its agenda because it constitutes a serious threat to international peace which is aggravated by the presence of U.S. military bases on Colombian soil.

Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Jorge Valero told a news conference that the seven U.S. bases are aimed at projecting the global power of the United States and deterring critics of "its imperialist policies."

Venezuela and Colombia have been feuding for months over the agreement between Bogota and Washington allowing the U.S. military to increase its presence at seven Colombian bases under a 10-year lease agreement.

Colombian and U.S. officials say the deal is necessary to more effectively help Colombia fight drug traffickers and leftist rebels, but Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez claims the agreement poses a threat to Venezuela. Chavez has called on Venezuelans to prepare for a possible armed conflict with the United States and Colombia, saying: "We are the No. 1 target on the imperial map of this continent."

Valero said he delivered a letter, and a dossier of documents, to the Security Council president Wednesday asking that the U.N.’s most powerful body "include in its work agenda, the examination of Colombia’s serious armed conflict, which constitutes a serious threat to international peace and security." He said he also delivered a letter and dossier to the General Assembly president.