Gaviria responds angrily to WikiLeaks revelations

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Colombia Reports

Gaviria responds angrily to WikiLeaks revelations
Thursday, 09 December 2010 09:00 Adriaan Alsema

http://colombiareports.com.nyud.net:8090/pics/government/jose_obdulio.jpg

Jose Obdulio Gavira, personal advisor to former President Alvaro Uribe, on Thursday responded furiously to leaked diplomatic cables which allege that Colombia's police chief suspected him of ordering the illegal wiretapping of government opponents.

"What evidence did you have, Naranjo? I noticed this hostile environment, but naively I thought of enemies, not betrayal," Gaviria Tweeted shortly after Colombian media revealed the content of the cables.

The controversial former presidential advisor said he feels persecuted by the FARC, the media, the police, and the secret service DAS, whom he allegedly instructed to perform the illegal wiretap .

~snip~
The leaked cables reveal that Naranjo told then-U.S. ambassador to Bogota William Brownfield that he personally suspected the former presidential advisor, a cousin of slain drug lord Pablo Escobar, of being involved in the illegal wiretapping of Supreme Court judges, journalists, human rights organizations and politicians.

Read more: http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/13333-gaviria-furious-about-police-commanders-wiretap-accusations.html

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http://frogstorm.com.nyud.net:8090/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Pablo-Escobar.png

The Death of Pablo Escobar
by Fernando Botero.

Who would expect the President of Colombia, who was identified as a personal ally of millionaire (billionaire?) narcotrafficker, Pablo Escobar as far back as 1991, in a report made by the U.S. Department of Denfense, allied with Colombian narcotraffickers, along with his dear, departed papa, to appoint his COUSIN as his advisor?

~~~~~
August 2, 2004
U.S. INTELLIGENCE LISTED COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT URIBE AMONG
"IMPORTANT COLOMBIAN NARCO-TRAFFICKERS" IN 1991

Then-Senator "Dedicated to Collaboration with the Medellín Cartel at High Government Levels"

Confidential DIA Report Had Uribe Alongside Pablo Escobar, Narco-Assassins

Uribe "Worked for the Medellín Cartel" and was a "Close Personal Friend of Pablo Escobar"
http://www.gwu.edu.nyud.net:8090/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB131/diaexcerpt.jpg

Washington, D.C., 1 August 2004 - Then-Senator and now President Álvaro Uribe Vélez of Colombia was a "close personal friend of Pablo Escobar" who was "dedicated to collaboration with the Medellín cartel at high government levels," according to a 1991 intelligence report from U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officials in Colombia. The document was posted today on the website of the National Security Archive, a non-governmental research group based at George Washington University.

Uribe's inclusion on the list raises new questions about allegations that surfaced during Colombia's 2002 presidential campaign. Candidate Uribe bristled and abruptly terminated an interview in March 2002 when asked by Newsweek reporter Joseph Contreras about his alleged ties to Escobar and his associations with others involved in the drug trade. Uribe accused Contreras of trying to smear his reputation, saying that, "as a politician, I have been honorable and accountable."

The newly-declassified report, dated 23 September 1991, is a numbered list of "the more important Colombian narco-traffickers contracted by the Colombian narcotic cartels for security, transportation, distribution, collection and enforcement of narcotics operations." The document was released by DIA in May 2004 in response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the Archive in August 2000.

The source of the report was removed by DIA censors, but the detailed, investigative nature of the report -- the list corresponds with a numbered set of photographs that were apparently provided with the original -- suggests it was probably obtained from Colombian or U.S. counternarcotics personnel. The document notes that some of the information in the report was verified "via interfaces with other agencies."

More:
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB131/index.htm

[naaman fletcher]

1. This cable is accurate

Since it reflects poorly on the U.S. and/or a U.S. ally.

We know that the cables about the sad state of Venezuelan health care and how Chavez is destroying the industry are false since they reflect poorly on Venezuela.

Thanks Latin America forum for the easy method of determining which cables are accurate and which are CIA propaganda.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mudplanet]

6. Let's see. Comparing a poor health care system in Venezueala to

wide spread and systematic murder and torture in Colombia as a way to show how the forum is biased.

I'm convinced. The Chavistas must be as criminal as the Colombian government.

But wait, Colombia has a worse health care system than Venezuela and is doing absolutely nothing to improve it.

So, the only thing Colombia is doing better than the Chavistas is promoting and supporting the business community. That compensates for the Colombian government's decades long systematic campaign of murder and torture of unarmed poor people. In fact, that campaign is one of the key things the Colombian government is doing to support the business community. Got union problems, the government can fix that. Want to expropriate for nothing 20 thousand acres of prime farm land that poor people have been farming for decades? The Colombian government can take care of that for the businessman, too. And even better, if you want to make some real money, the Colombian government can help you with the contacts and logistics to succeed in the cocaine industry. And, they control your competition at no cost by using US tax dollars to kill anyone that gets in your way.

Damn, the Colombian government has so much more integrity than the Venezuelan government.

[naaman fletcher]

7. was that addressed to me?

I don't recall making any of the points it seems like you are trying to counter.

[mudplanet]

11. addressed to 'the cable is accurate"

[Judi Lynn]

9. A picture's worth a thousand words.

http://www.assmandible.com.nyud.net:8090/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dude-w-gun-seals-on-beach.jpg

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Guess he must be "shocked! Just shocked!!"

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!

Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: Oh, thank you very much.

Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!

[Name removed]

3. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. the transparency!

[goforit]

8. At least all the thugs are exposed with their pants down before the 2012 prophesy.

[Judi Lynn]

10. WikiLeaks: Top Uribe aides may have ordered illegal wiretapping

WikiLeaks: Top Uribe aides may have ordered illegal wiretapping
By John Otis - GlobalPost
Published: December 9, 2010 12:08 ET in The Americas

BOGOTA, Colombia — Secret diplomatic cables revealed by WikiLeaks indicate that top aides to former President Alvaro Uribe may have ordered an illegal surveillance campaign against opposition politicians, journalists, human rights activists and Supreme Court justices.

In an October 2009 cable written by then U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield and published by WikiLeaks, the diplomat said that Colombia’s National Police commander suspected the wiretapping was ordered by Bernardo Moreno, who was then Uribe’s chief of staff, as well as another top aide, Jose Obdulio Gaviria. Brownfield’s information came from Oscar Naranjo, Colombia’s highly respected police chief who still holds the job.

“Though he had no proof, and at this time it was his mere conjecture (Naranjo) said he suspected Uribe’s Secretary of the Presidency Bernardo Moreno and possibly advisor Jose Obdulio Gaviria had ordered the illegal surveillance... This falls in the category of informed speculation, but speculation from (Naranjo) has a pretty good track record for success.”

The scandal at the intelligence agency, which is known as the DAS and is Colombia’s version of the FBI, has stained the image of Uribe, who stepped down in August. It could also mean indictments and trials for Moreno and several other close Uribe aides. Moreno and Gaviria are already under investigation by the Colombian Attorney General’s Office. In October, the Inspector General, an official charged with monitoring government corruption, ruled that the evidence against Moreno was so strong that he banned him from holding public office for the next 18 years.

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/colombia/101209/wikileaks-top-uribe-aides-may-have-ordered-illegal-wiretapping

[Judi Lynn]

13. Colombia: Uribe's Presidential Legacy Haunted by Scandals

Colombia: Uribe's Presidential Legacy Haunted by Scandals
By JOHN OTIS / BOGOTÁ John Otis / BogotÁ – 20 mins ago

When he stepped down in August after eight years as Colombia's President, Alvaro Uribe gave up the keys to the national palace, the private jet and the other perks of high office. But Uribe also surrendered his Teflon coating.

Uribe is hailed as a modern-day savior by many Colombians for orchestrating a military offensive that severely weakened Marxist rebels, making the country much safer and opening the door to an economic revival. Screwups - and there were many - were forgiven and forgotten. Had he not been banned by the Constitution from running in this year's presidential election, Uribe would likely have breezed to a third term. He bowed out with an 80% job approval rating. (Read "Colombia Prepares for Life After Uribe.")

But sans presidential sash and the aura it conveyed, Uribe has been scampering to defend himself and former aides amid accusations of skullduggery reminiscent of Watergate. Allegations include illegal payoffs, wiretapping and campaign-finance shenanigans. Several members of Uribe's inner circle could end up behind bars if convicted on charges based on the allegations. The former President further stained his image last month when he helped convince the Panamanian government to grant political asylum to his former intelligence chief, MarÍa del Pilar Hurtado, who was to be a key witness in the most serious scandal of the Uribe years.

During Uribe's second term, Hurtado briefly headed Colombia's version of the FBI, known as the DAS. In 2009, DAS agents were caught eavesdropping on opposition politicians, journalists, human-rights activists and, incredibly, Supreme Court justices. Uribe's greasing the skids for Hurtado's getaway prompted howls of protest. Jaime Arrubla, the president of Colombia's Supreme Court and one of the people spied upon, rightly noted that political asylum is supposed to protect "people facing political persecution, not the persecutors themselves."

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20101210/wl_time/08599203576500

[Uncle Joe]

14. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Judi Lynn.

[Judi Lynn]

15. Thank you, Uncle Joe.

:hi:

[Judi Lynn]

16. Colombia allegedly pushes US to grant Uribe immunity

Colombia allegedly pushes US to grant Uribe immunity

Colombian Ambassador Gabriel Luján has requested that the United States grant immunity to former Álvaro Uribe, according to Colombia Reports and La FM.

“The request is exceptional, because generally this type of immunity is granted to present heads of state, not former heads of state,” Colombia Reports‘ Adriaan Alsema added.

Uribe, the former president of Colombia who was invited to lecture on campus this year, was subpoenaed in early November to appear at a civil trial against Drummond Coal. However, he did not testify, not appear at the courthouse. According to the National Catholic Reporter, plantiffs in the case believe that Uribe may have known about a deal cut between Drummond and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia, a paramilitary group.

Luján, who was Colombia’s Minister of National Defense until Uribe’s term ended last summer, became Colombia’s ambassador to the United States in October.

http://blog.georgetownvoice.com/2010/12/08/colombia-allegedly-pushes-us-to-grant-uribe-immunity/