Colombia credits Chavez for rebel move to free captives

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Bogota, December 20, 2007
First Published: 15:33 IST(20/12/2007)
Last Updated: 15:45 IST(20/12/2007)

Colombia credits Chavez for rebel move to free captives

Colombia has welcomed the decision by leftist rebels to free three hostages and attributed their move to the mediation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who was barred from brokering a prisoner swap last month.

Responding to the announcement by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to free three of the 45 high-profile captives, Colombia's peace commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo on Wednesday said it was Chavez's efforts that yielded results, Spain's EFE news agency reported on Thursday.

The Venezuelan president began working to broker a hostage-for-prisoner swap in August but his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe pulled the plug on those efforts last month, alleging Chavez had violated the terms of authorization for the talks. The move had soured relations between Colombia and Venezuela.
(snip)

"There's no doubt that the FARC is making a gesture to President Chavez. We obviously always considered that with Chavez's intervention we were going to achieve a movement in the FARC's position," the peace commissioner said.



Read more: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=e038be4f-161e-4dc6-9bfd-eda5cb3bc78a

[Peace Patriot]

1. Colombia's RW regime must be feeling the heat from France, from other

South American governments, and from the hostages' families, for its toadying to the Bush Junta on this matter. I suspect they did worse than that. I suspect it was a Rumsfeld/Negroponte dirty trick--and possibly lethal trap--for Uribe (Colombian prez) to request Chavez to negotiate for the hostages, then, when he makes progress on it--just before the Venezuelan referendum that the Bushites spent millions of our tax dollars trying to defeat--they pull the plug on the negotiation with a lame excuse*, OR, are forced to pull the plug because their plot to get Chavez killed or embarrassed in some way (hostages getting killed in crossfire?) FAILED.

*The excuse they used was that Chavez contacted a Colombian military general. Why would that be a rule of the negotiation (that he not do so)? I have no idea. But I suspect that Chavez breaking that strange rule may have saved his life and/or those of the hostages and FARC negotiators. I can't imagine him walking into that situation without assurances from the Colombian military that THEY would respect the negotiation (and also that they could control the rightwing paramilitary death squads that they are infamous for working closely with--death squads that were plotting to assassinate Chavez last year!). Chavez would have been a fool to trust Uribe in this situation, and not obtain his own assurances. And this may be why Uribe reacted the way he did--canceling the negotiation over a Chavez phone call to the military--because the plot was FOILED (possibly BY that phone call), and Uribe was trying to salvage a P.R. point or two (Chavez "broke the rules") for his Bushite/corporate puppetmasters. Also, Uribe and his Bushite pals likely don't give a goddamn for the hostages, except as pawns in their war against democracy in South America (a war to regain fascist/corporate control over the Andes oil fields and other resources). So, once their covert op to use the hostage negotiation against Chavez got foiled, they immediately lost interest in freeing the hostages.

It's interesting how the "proof of life" documents were obtained. AFTER they pulled the plug on the negotiation, Colombian authorities ARRESTED three FARC negotiators who were carrying the proof. (How's that for bad faith?) And they tried at first to make it look like THEY had obtained "proof of life." However, the hostages' families immediately contradicted that, and credited Chavez. Another little bit of P.R. that Uribe was trying to salvage from the botched plot? Sure looks like it.

At that point, immediately after their stopping the negotiation, I saw a sentence in a news item to the effect that the Colombian Senator who had been working with Chavez was in some kind of legal hot water--had been accused of something, arrested (it was vague)--and you can just imagine how angry the Uribe/Bush crowd must have been if she helped foil their plot. (She was the one who made the phone call to the Colombian general, on Chavez's behalf.)

Frankly, I think we're looking at a mini-9/11. The truly patriotic people within our government--FBI, CIA--who were GENUINELY trying to foil Al Qaeda before 9/11, met with one obstruction after another, that appeared to be aimed at "letting it happen." All sorts of warnings were ignored, and hot trails on Al Q obstructed, leading up to 9/11, and then, leading away from it, there is considerable evidence of a cover up. I am reminded of FBI agent Coleen Rowley, whose FISA warrant request received a rare denial from her Washington DC FBI boss, when she was trying to get into Z. Moussoui's computer, just before 9/11. I am also reminded of the fate of FBI agent John O'Neill, the FBI's top terrorism expert, who was following the Yemen money trail. He was forced out of the FBI that summer, and went to work in private security for the WTC a week before 9/11 (and died there). What was that all about? Was he, like this Colombian Senator, trying to foil a plot BY the fascists in his own government, AGAINST the interests of peace and justice? Was that why he was forced out of his FBI job? (And who got him the job at the WTC?) Can't have people pursuing truth, can't have people doing their jobs, can't have people seeking peace--if your purpose is war.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Why would a man be unconcerned about his own security in that situation, indeed! He had every right

in the world, and then some, to know ALL the details of the arrangement, and an honest President in Colombia or any other government would NOT have attempted to keep him from knowing what he was walking into!

Uribe's entire time in office, and in his custom-made 2nd term (up 'til now unknown in Colombia, prior to Uribe's decision to stay in office longer, and now being manipulated by Uribe to be extended to a THIRD term (WITHOUT ALL THE CORPORATE MEDIA OUTRAGE, OF COURSE!)) has operated from a vastly different economic base than all the other Presidents of Colombia had, going in to their Presidencies.

Obviously, he would have grown very accustomed to the style in which _Bush is keeping him. If he looses the chance to stay at war, he loose almost all of his massive amount (third largest foreign aid package IN THE WORLD) of gravy from the hard-working U.S. taxpayers. What WOULD a petty, scandal ridden right-wing President do without so much "walkin' around money?"

It's going to be easy to predict that this war on the poor (morphed from Cold War terms of "fighting communism" into a "war on drugs") will continue until something gets Uribe out of office.

As for previous movement within his own government and within the paramilitaries to assassinate Hugo Chavez? Those of us who try to pay attention recall very well the SIX HOUR MEETING Uribe had to have with Hugo Chavez when he apologized for one of the assassination plots discovered in his own government, going all the way to the head of his D.A.S. (like the F.B.I., I have read), Jorge Noguera, who fled the country after he got into hot water.

We also recall the 130 paramiltaries discovered (tipped off from an informant in Venezuela) living at a ranch outside Caracas owned by a violence-advocating opposition member of the Venzuelan oligarchy, Cuban-Venezuelan Roberto Alonso. They testified to the fact they had been employed by Venezuelans to, among other things, break into a National Guard armory, and take enough weapons to arm 1,500 men, and the ultimate goal was to take the Presidential Palace and assassinate Hugo Chavez. This is on record.

We recall that after a period of time, Hugo Chavez allowed many of these paramilitaries (retired Colombian military members, in many cases) to return home, as he said this entire thing was not their creation, after all, but came from higher up.

So if Hugo Chavez wants assurance on any level, you'd think Alvaro Uribe would have bent over backwards to make sure he was satisfied, had he been an honest man, considering his own government's record with Hugo Chavez up to now.

Senator Piedad Cordoba'd better start watching her back, as well! (You may recall that there's another Colombian Senator, Gustavo Petro, who has to keep NINE bodyguards with him now.) She was right to suggest checking. Her President should have made certain all questions were answered, himself, personally, before it was necessary to do this.

Uribe's not going to give up the opportunity to be the one receiving the yearly shipment of megabucks from _Bush. He did NOT want a peaceful ending to the hostage situation: that's part of the excuse to keep getting tons of money from the over-taxed (but only overtaxed concerning social spending, according to Republicans) American citizens.

Because of your posts, no doubt far more people are going to be paying closer attention to Latin American politics, especially the ones with leaders _Bush has been threatening.

[ronnie624]

5. Interesting.

Judging by your post, it seems that you have read Crossing the Rubicon, by Michael Ruppert. if not, I recommend it. Despite his being called a conspiracy theorist by some nit wits, his book seems very well researched and the facts therein, have proven to be quite accurate.

[Judi Lynn]

3. POLITICS-COLOMBIA: Negotiations With FARC Cut Short

POLITICS-COLOMBIA: Negotiations With FARC Cut Short
By Charles Davis

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (IPS) - Columbian Senator Piedad Córdoba charged at a press conference here Wednesday that the government of Colombian President Álvarao Uribe has little interest in negotiating a settlement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist guerrilla group that is said to be holding around 750 people hostage.

Córdoba, a leftist member of the Liberal Party and an outspoken critic of Uribe, had been working with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez since mid- August to negotiate a "humanitarian exchange" of the hostages -- which include three U.S. citizens and former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt -- for roughly 500 FARC guerrillas that are currently imprisoned.

Betancourt in particular has been the focus of major media attention in France, where she enjoys dual citizenship. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made her freedom one of his top foreign policy goals.

But negotiations regarding a hostage-prisoner exchange were cut short by the Colombian government on Nov. 21, after Uribe accused Chavez of violating a personal agreement by speaking directly to the head of the Colombian military.

Córdoba says she is disappointed with Uribe’s decision. She came to Washington -- which is expected to give more than 678 million dollars in military and economic aid to Colombia next year -- in order to urge members of the U.S. Congress to push for a negotiated settlement.

In an interview with IPS, she said she met with Congressmen Bill Delahunt and Jim McGovern, Democrats from Massachusetts, as well as New York Democratic Congressman Ed Meeks.

More:
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40558

[struggle4progress]

4. Colombian rebels confirm planned release of three hostages

BOGOTA (AFP) — Colombian Marxist guerrillas confirmed Thursday that they would release three hostages, including a top aide to Franco-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and a child born in captivity.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said on its website it would free Clara Rojas, who was kidnapped with Betancourt during her 2002 presidential bid, along with Rojas' three- or four-year-old son Emmanuel, whose father is a rebel.

The rebels said they would also release lawmaker Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo, kidnapped in 2001.

The publishing of the statement on the rebel website followed criticism within the government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that cast doubt on the veracity of an earlier announcement made via a Cuban news agency on Tuesday. It was also delivered via the Cuban embassy in Bogota ... http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i4O-NvnuPTTEvkJnS_nB79f_Jluw