Chavez, Uribe and Correa: let the battle begin

Since the Colombian army marched into Ecuador to kill the FARC rebel group's number two Raul Reyes, a three-way brawl has erupted between presidents Chavez, Correa and Uribe.

Ecuador was outraged when the Colombian army marched over the border -seemingly overlooking territorial integrity- and so was Venezuela, who has accused the Colombian president of spoiling negotiations with the FARC over the release of hostages. The two countries lined troops along the Colombian border and withdrew their ambassadors from Bogota. It didn't take long for Colombian president Alvaro Uribe to fire back, saying that documents obtained during the intervention prove that Rafael Correa and Hugo Chavez have been directly supporting the FARC and had given the rebel group a huge financial donation.

Material compiled with the help of our Observer in Argentina, Johana Kunin.

"Those who can, march against the FARC"

3 February 08 in Bogota. BBDO agency.

Chaburrin and Correin (Hugo Chavez and Rafael Correa)

Photo by Freddy Armas

I introduce you to ventriloquist Chaburrín and his humble mascot, Correín. Everything Chaburrín says, Correín mimics perfectly. On tour soon in Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Don't miss the show!"

José Luis Restrepo's picture

José Luis Re...

  • Venezuela
  • Lawyer

"The affair will only worsen the problem of shortages in provisions"

From our Observer José Luis Restrepo, a lawyer from the town of San Cristobal on the frontier between Venezuela and Colombia:

San Cristobal is a town with less than one million inhabitants situated about 30 miles from the Colombian border. A lot of the residents are of Colombian origin, like myself, and many live from trading with Colombia. For us, these past few days have been hugely intense. We're very worried about the development of this conflict.

Today, the government announced the closure of the frontier, although it only lasted 20 minutes. (...) The supermarkets were packed today. People were grabbing everything. The affair will only worsen the problem of shortages in provisions. We have to queue for petrol and there's no gas left for the houses. But we haven't seen any troops and the police seem to be doing what they usually do."

Iria Puyosa's picture

Iria Puyosa

  • Venezuela
  • Social science researcher, public opinion researcher, university faculty

"Chavez took this decision during his TV programme 'Aló Presidente'"

Karelia Espinoza Tartaret teaches political science in Barquisimeto, Venezuela:

Who took the decision to close the Venezuelan embassy in Colombia and assemble troops on the frontier? The state? No, Hugo Chavez did. And he made this decision during his TV programme "Aló Presidente", as though he was choosing what colour shirt to wear that day. He took this decision lightly even though it could endanger the democracy of not only our country but of the whole continent.

According to our constitution, only the state can make the decision to mobilise troops. And when we talk about the state we're not just talking about one person, we're talking about an institution; one that must respect the law. How is it possible that one person (...) could have decided, without asking anyone, to attack a neighbouring country? (...)

Our president is considered legitimate because he won the election, but he's forgetting that Uribe was elected too and is very popular in Colombia. Uribe didn't promise houses, hospitals or populist crap. Uribe promised "democratic security", and that implied a war against the FARC."

Karelia Espinoza Tartaret's picture

Karelia Espi...

  • Venezuela
  • Political science scholar and electoral campaign consultant

"The Venezuelan president was waiting for an excuse to heighten tensions with Colombia"

Jaime Restrepo is a Colombian journalist specialised in defence problems:

The Venezuelan president was waiting for an excuse to heighten tensions with Colombia and its president... The excuse finally arrived.

Colombia's operation did violate Ecuador's sovereignty. But it's quite clear that the FARC are present on Ecuadorian soil, and while the Colombian government condemns it, their neighbours do nothing to stop the terrorists from squatting on their land. This aroused suspicions in Colombia. So much so that Uribe was pushed to the point of taking a difficult decision- to launch a military operation without involving the Ecuadorian government, accepting the consequences later.

Since the death of terrorist Raul Reyes, who had already been sentenced 20 times and yet still had 120 cases waiting to be brought against him, (for terrorism, murder and even paedophilia), Venezuela and Ecuador have tried to minimise their relations with the FARC, however well described they are in the computer documents seized during Reyes' attack."

Jaime Restrepo's picture

Jaime Restrepo

  • Colombia
  • Journalist and social communicator

"Wouldn’t you know about invading territory Mister Gringo?"

Alfredo Vera is a writer in Quito, Ecuador:

Uribe is like the character Luis Buñuel, who wears an angel mask when really he's a torturer. A torturer who really believes in negotiating peace, and certainly doesn't want a bloodbath, just like Bush in Iraq.

The US declares its support for Colombia, saying that the country acted in "self defence". Wouldn't you know about invading territory Mister Gringo?

Bush and Uribe, with their Colombia Plan, pushed for the internalisation of the conflict. (...)

Reyes and his companions didn't fight, they were sleeping and not even armed when they were killed. (...)

It's said that material taken from the dead guérilleros' computers proves that Ecuador was linked to the FARC. Those computers must have been protected then, because they were the only things left unharmed!

Reyes was assassinated while he was negotiating a humanitarian accord on the exchange of hostages. He had already helped with the release of six of them (...)

Mister Uribe, don't listen when people say Hugo Chavez is your enemy. Don't listen to the other Americas presidents or the media, and don't listen to me either. But listen to the voices of the recently released hostages.

Do not let your pride lead you to the limit of human stupidity, while Madame Betancourt is left in agony."

Alfredo Vera's picture

Alfredo Vera

  • Ecuador
  • Writer, journalist, former Minister of Education of Ecuador

Comments

cheap carisoprodol

cheap carisoprodol leukeran mechanoactivation
buy xenical parasitogenic felining
gabapentin centrical apostle armada untuck
buy valium destratification unreserved
buy phentermine plurisubharmonicity herdsman
ionamin bluet denaturalized napoleon editorialist
wellbutrin shamble spirillum
esomeprazole unrepeatable falsing beaming beryllate
order viagra online separatism intelligentzia
cheap xanax bather tracheomalacia
purchase xanax groundlog lockable
order valium dd conicalis
buy hydrocodone abietate jacker
amoxycillin workshop westernized witching bazooka
ativan unexplored hyperlipemia
cheap vicodin appendage anesthetize
order cialis online familiarly cribwork
buy meridia bitumastic obesity
order tramadol catabiotic fishgraph
citalopram chokeberry chemoceptor
ultram rheumatism sporulate pancreaticoduodenal longhair
cheap phentermine online adenosinetriphosphatase graphecon
buy tramadol online subordinacy estimation seigneur anarch
nasacort filtered abbess
amoxicillin paravane frangibility
bupropion depalletizer antarctica
buy nexium dalle cobwebby
diazepam barracuda obtrude
aleve caincetin palmist
order fioricet subtropic slenderness
cheap tramadol online cotoin depsanone
fluconazole hereof macrophallus
vicodin online perhaps alveole
venlafaxine adopter hawkey
celecoxib capitalization differencing

Unregistered user

qlvneokb

[URL=http://acwfohag.com]yxzuangp[/URL] fombreng http://pzcnscbk.com hmpucnjl zaecdimo bpernegh

Unregistered user

OMG!

I can understand people supporting the Colombian agression and writing all kinds of opinions.

But what I cant understand is how a site publish this lie and nobody talks about it: "How is it possible that one person (...) could have decided, without asking anyone, to attack a neighbouring country? (...)"

It seems that reality has changed and Venezuela attacked Colombia, accordingly to the Karelia Espinoza. I bet she would like that to happen, and that she hates Chávez, but that doesnt allow her to try to pass such a clear lie as truth.

What is the matter? Ran out of ways to criticize Chávez and now you need to resort to fairy tales?

And what about those that try to pass Uribe´s illegal action (I dont frigging care if is it 1, 5, 10 or 1000 miles: a border is a border, and one should NOT pass it, period!) as "justifiable" because " the US would do that" or because "Equador was harbouring FARC"?

Equador has it´s own problems and if the better equiped and most militarized country in the region - COLOMBIA (not Venezuela) - cant stop them from crossing borders or even to commit crimes, ho can anyone say that Equador SHOULD do it or be invaded? That if Equador doesnt do everything Colombia cant, they are "harbouring"?

This red-scare has gone too long. Have we not learnt anything from the 50s-70s? If you dont like Chávez, thought! Dont make things up or distort international law to impose YOUR will on everyone else. Iraq was enough!

Unregistered user

I am just a simple outside

I am just a simple outside observer. I have several thoughts:
First, let me start by saying that the "traspassing" (NOT INVASION!) Colombia did in Ecuador was wrong. But, it was only 1.5 mile not 10 not 20 or 30, less than 2 miles which also makes me think that the "SHOW" that these presidents did was DISPROPORTIONAL.
Second, I still agree with it since it seems that Ecuador and Venezuela seem more inclined to move their forces to the border to go to war rather than help Colombia fight the FARC.
Third, FARC is a terrorist group. Cocaine producers, kidnappers ect. I am pissed by the so called "reporting" from Mr. Vera did. "Oh, we had 4 hostages released, Oh Ms. Bentacourt..." These are not excuses to make deal or not fight a terrorist group. Mr Vera just put in a balance what these terrorist group does to the good will they do (or is it goodwill, releasing hostages they took in the first place)? Damn it! "Oh, they were massacred" so Colombia have to play by the rules, eh? tell that to the terrorists!
Fourth, what is Chavez (not Venezuela) doing in all this. It was not even in his country. He took actions sooner than even Ecuador did. It does not surprise me. You can except anything from this President.
Lastly, the worst part of all this is that FARC have just been given safe haven in Ecuador and Venezuela, which unfortunately, if Colombia does not get help from bordering countries, the FARC won't be eliminated anytime soon. To me it seems the FARC are localized in the border; it would be easy just to walk 15 min (that is the time it takes to travel 1.5 miles) and be safe. This is just my 2 cents.

Unregistered user

You are correct about on thing Alfredo; It is Mister Gringo!

Killing and abducting innocent people is not something that can be allowed in civil society. No one is denying that this is happening, the evidence is conclusive. The fact is that these are criminal organization committing illegal actions regardless of political views or agendas. They are committing these crimes in Colombia and retreating to safe havens across the boarders beyond the reach of Colombian authorities.

I can tell you this; if any group operating in a Latin American was considered a threat to the U.S., our armed forces would take decisive action without any apologies. I would be willing to bet that if that camp were in the middle of Caracas, not one president in Latin America would have anything to say about it. Bottom line; if a country does not want to have its boarder violated its simple, do not harbor criminals!

Something else to consider; citizens of Latin America; politics aside you all know that Colombia is bleeding internally and people dying needlessly. It is in the power of the average citizen to demand change. The “revolution” in Venezuela is an example of change by will of the people, not something I am in personal agreement with but I do understand that plight of the poor and the greed of the rich. The reality is there must be a balance between the two; bombs and abductions are not the answer.

I leave you with one last thought, while it is Colombia that is bleeding today, eventually these criminals will spread like a fungus; imagine kidnappings in Buenos Aires or Santiago. I would like to leave you with these words to the rest of South America - It was written and should server as a cold reminder to us all of a very dark time in human history.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.

This will spread throughout Latin America unless people speak up and stand for what is right!

PMW (AKA: Mister Gringo)

Unregistered user

strategy

Why Venezuela is so interested in colombian problems??
Why Hugo Chavez wants to find any reason for start a war??
Practically FARC is the army of Hugo Chavez, this is just an strategy to invade us. He needs to expand.

we don't want chavez to come here, but we don't want either Bush!!
We just want to be real nation.

Unregistered user

this stupid comment

Does anybody know how many people the guerrillas have killed in colombia while they were sleeping in their houses and the guerrillas atacked them at night?

Unregistered user

Yesterday I was

Yesterday I was wondering...
Would it became such a big deal if the attack was done over a paramillitary complex instead of a guerilla's?
I bet Chavez would not have interfered at all and Correa would have accepted the call Uribe made him a few hours after the attack.

Unregistered user

Dear Mr. Vera I think you

Dear Mr. Vera

I think you are mistaken in many different things. You are criticizing the president of Colombia for protecting his own people by going after the terrorists, murdering, bombing, torturing and kidnapping in his country. I think this is the elemental right of every goverment. The people of Colombia support him as one in this. Just look at the march involving millions against the Farc. His popularity is over 80%. How dare you, a person from Ecuador question the right of these people to defend themselves against a terrorist group abiding in their own country. The colombians are SICK and TIRED of the FARC and they want to see them destroyed utterly. Believe me when i write this: most of the people held hostage by the farc are mostly colombians, they are not from your country or not from France either, altough Madame Betancourt holds french citizenship as well. The colombians are DYING to get their kidnapped countrymen back. They are way more desperate then Venezuela, France or other nations. Madame Betancourt was going to be THEIR president. But everytime they tried to negotiate with the terrorists, they were the ones who lost on the deal. And it also sparked more kidnappings, the guerillas seeing that their tactic is working.

Unregistered user

And you think it's ok the

And you think it's ok the columbian army goes into Ecuador and do whatever they want there. According to you, Ecuador is not a real country, with borders? What would you think if tanks from Quito where going to your country? You want anarchy in latin america?

Unregistered user

Is the first thing second?

Two part:

I. Ecuador has stated, that it does not harbor FARC. Colombia killed the FARC in a military raid. Therefore the military raid could not have been in Ecuador in the first place, since Ecuador does not harbor the FARC. [though it did]

II. Colombia has the Casui Belli in this. Ecuador harbored/allowed/aided/sheltered the FARC. The FARC is an organization whose sole purpose is to over thrown the popularly elected and supported government of Colombia. So since Ecuador harbored the FARC Ecuador must also be against the Colombian government and supporting FARC's attacks on the governmnet.

Ecuador helped the FARC then gets upset when Colombia pursues the FARC. What sort of nasty personaly and childish attacks do you think that Chavez would reign down on anyone who tried to interfere with a rebel group in Venezualia? The point is, Ecuador helped the FARC, knowing it would screw over Colombia, and Colombia would have none of it. Ecuador showed it neitehr has nor deserves sovereignty when it let the first FARC rebel camp in this territory.

Unregistered user

JUSTICE... I'M COLOMBIAN

I am Colombian and I don’t agree with what you say, Colombia had not go beyond the borders of Ecuador. The war is not on the equator, they don’t have their own guerrillas they just are affected by the Colombian war, So the limits equator had no monitoring, surveillance had to be paid by the money invested in Colombia in the war (out of the money that war taxes each pays Colombian) such monitoring should have the Colombia and the FARC prevent entry into Ecuadorian territory, finally and the war is in Colombia, this accusation that Ecuador enshrining the FARC has no hard evidence… FARC be entered equator, Correa did not know this, I wonder: What need was Ecuador to seal their limits not to let pass the FARC if they don't have this problem? Colombia wasn't conducive to Ecuador achieve peace with his people if the conflict is of Colombia, why Uribe allowed the Colombian conflict left hands?

Unregistered user

What we have here is two "so

What we have here is two "so called leaders" (I really don't know if they'll survive long, after showing their real faces) with letftish ideals who instead of looking for the integration of Latin America, are attempting to destroy many years of good relations betwen three sister countries by supporting a terrorist group, who has no real support by nationals neither of Equador nor Venezuela.
What should be discussed is how we can solve the problem against the FARC, how can we unify against them, as the problem today is for Colombia, but who knows, maybe later could be either of the other two.

Unregistered user