Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Venezuelan condemned the United States for providing asylum to at least three Cuban dissidents accused of terror acts, El Universal newspaper reports.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel criticized the move following last week's decision by Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso to pardon four Cubans, including Luis Posada Carriles, who is wanted in Cuba for numerous offenses including the 1976 crash of a Cuban passenger plane off the coast of Barbados.

Three of the men are currently in Miami, while Carriles, a one-time CIA operative, is believed en route to the United States.

Rangel told reporters he "didn't see any difference between Posada Carriles and al-Qaida."

The four were arrested in Panama in November 2000 following comments by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who was in Panama for a summit at the time, they were plotting to assassinate him.

Panama's decision has sparked a political backlash across the region with Panama withdrawing it ambassador from Cuba, and Havana deciding to sever political ties with Panama. Venezuela then withdrew its ambassador from Panama on Friday.