Luis Eladio Pérez, Gloria Polanco, Jorge Eduardo Gechem and Orlando Beltrán have just boarded the airplane in Venezuelan territory after having been released by the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias Colombianas Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP) in a unilateral humanitarian gesture for peace in Colombia. We are expected to receive Luis, Gloria, Jorge and Orlando at approximately 6pm, Venezuelan time, in Maiquetía airport outside of Caracas, where their family members are anxiously waiting. This humanitarian gesture is a result of the international solidarity and humanistic foreign policy of the government of President Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and the incredibly persistent and determined work for peace that Colombian Senator Piedad Córdova has been pursuing for over a decade.
The FARC has stated today that this is the last unilateral release of hostages until the Colombian government ceases military operations in the areas where the FARC is residing. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has made NO gestures or taken any steps whatsoever to further peace in Colombia, but rather has agitated the crisis by increasing military offensive measures in the regions where FARC is known to operate. Were it not for President Chávez and the revolutionary process in Venezuela, these four individuals who have been held hostage for 7 years would not be free, nor would Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez have been released in early January after 5 years as hostages in the Colombian jungle.
The US Government has critized and smeared President Chávez's efforts for regional peace by trying to brand him as an "ally of terrorists and drugtraffickers". But time will show that the US Government funded and armed Plan Colombia has been the #1 instigator of war, conflict and misery in Colombia, whereas President Chávez's actions have brought peace, love and hope to the people of Colombia.
QUE VIVA VENEZUELA! QUE VIVA EL PRESIDENTE CHAVEZ!!!
18 comments:
Not too much world news on this, although there was some mention. Seems that no one cares about anyone except Ingred.
I'm glad that FARC is keeping their word and releasing hostages. All the hostages are human beings and important to someone that loves them.
As for the US, who cares, the government doesn't do crap to get anyone back. Plus, they snatch people who they think are a problem every day in Iraq.
I would like to see the US government act civilly and without malice (seeing as though they hold no moral ground) to secure the release of citizens from FARC.
You wrote in your previous entry about writing a fiction book too. I think you are often freer in fiction: you can express your opinion in complex ways through characters, whereas in non fiction we are a bit more limited to expressing our opinion through presentation of the facts. If you know what I mean :)
Our group, 'Extranjeros en Solidaridad con la revolucion Bolivariana' is going well, people appreciate the solidarity and internationalism.
I also keep a blog, a diary of life in the revolution from the colourful andes:
www.gringadiary.blogspot.com
In Solidarity and struggle!
Tamara
I find the US allegation particulaly amusing in light of the US support for armed groups which were drug trafficers - http://chomsky.info/debates/1988----.htm
CHOMSKY: Well, one thing we can do to stop drug trade is to stop cooperating with it. In fact, if that one ended, it wouldn't come near ending it, but it would be a good start. For example, take, say, General Noriega. He's been well known to be up to his neck in the drug racket since certainly the early seventies, mid-seventies at the latest, and we was a very favored US ally until the mid-1980s, long after that. The reason was, because he was performing services for us. He was offering a base for the attack against Nicaragua, and so on. No he ran a totally fraudulent election in 1984. He was right at the top of the Colombian drug cartel. We rewarded that by sending George Shultz down to bless the occasion as a great step forward in democracy, after the fraudulent election. For reasons that are still not entirely clear, but apparently because Noriega at some point stopped following our orders, we decided to turn against him, and incidentally we've achieved the magnificent result of organizing virtually most of Latin America, and even the Catholic church in Panama, in favor of Noriega, who they hate, because of the form of US intervention. That's a real achievement. One thing we could have done is to avoid that form of participation in a drug racket.
The same is true of the Contra story. There is very little doubt by now -- I mean, I think the evidence is very convincing -- that the Contra aid program was tied up with drugs, and it's not the first time, incidentally. If you look at the history of clandestine warfare, you'll find that it's very often linked to the drug racket. There's a very simple reason for that: covered actions, clandestine actions require untraceable money. And one of the places you go for untraceable money, and so on and so forth is to the drug racket."
I wish i could come and help out in your revolution, but i was allways rubbish at Spanish. Good luck!
"Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has made NO gestures or taken any steps whatsoever to further peace in Colombia"
Eva, how do you explain that Ricardo Granda was freed recently ? Either you don't know what you talk about or you are plainly and simply lying.
Well, Eva,
more and more evidence surfaces that Chavez was not only *not* neutral in the FARC-Colombia conflict, but actively fueling the civil war with hundreds of millions of USD. I.o.W. he sponsored groups with the aim to overthrow a democratically elected government. He did *exactly* the same things as you accuse the US of doing.
Do you know what could have been done with the USD 300 Million for the Venezuelan health system that is practically collapsed ? Now this money is wasted to maim, kill, kidnap people. This is the man adore and support. shame on you !
Wow,
I mean really Thomas are you embarrassed by that comment now?
The magical laptop of mystery, which claims millions of dollars was given to the FARC, also claims that they were trying to build a dirty bomb using un-enriched uranium (a scientific impossibility) AND that every European country that once pissed of the Colombian government was also funding the FARC.
The magical laptop also managed to survive a cluster bomb attack that killed 21 people on Ecuadoran soil with NO respect for sovereignty or international law.
Of course it also killed the chief negotiator of the hostage crisis, which will really do a great job of encouraging the FARC to re-enter negotiations, wont it?
embarrassed yet, Thomas?
Peter, the payments are corroborated by at least a douzen witnesses, among them General Jesus Urdaneta, former head of DISIP and *very* close friend of Chavez and several FARC fighters.
Additionally not only this laptop survived, but three others too. You would be surprised how small items can survive a cluster bomb attack. If this all would be a fake, Uribe would NEVER take the material to the International Court in The Hague, since the fake would turn out very quickly, being an embarrassement for Colombia.
As for FARC and negotiations. They want to take over the power, nothing less, which they demonstrated under Pastrana. They had their own territorry of the size of Switzerland and peace negotiations where very advanced - until the FARC mounted one of their biggest military offensives on the eve before crucial peace talks, demonstrating that it did not only NOT want peace, but has misused the grant of the territory to reorganize and strengthen significantly.
As for international law: As a neutral in this conflict Ecuador should have either thrown the FARC out of her territory, interned the fighters or arrested them, depending on the viewpoint of Ecuador regarding the status of the FARC. In NO case a FARC camp of four hectares should have been tolerated as Ecuador did and Venezuela *still* does.. THIS is a disregard of international law. So quit whining about that.
The ones embarrassed should be you.
Peter, just to give you an impression what can be done by experienced data rescuers:
http://www.it-service24.com/bilder/festplatte-03.jpg
http://www.it-service24.com/bilder/verbranntes-laptop.jpg
These are pictures of case studies by a swiss data rescue company.
As I said, the ones embarassed should be you.
@ Peter: Finally, in one TV-show a mla mythbusters, they blew up a Panasonic Toughbook and a normal Toshiba (in a bag) with two dynamite sticks attached to the laptops and 20 liters fuel. Result: The laptops flew in a huge fireball 20 feet into the air and crashed into the groud. Damage to the Toshiba: Broken case, broken LCD screen and keyboard torn out, rest intact.
The toughbook was dirty, but *did even boot*. So far to your "miracle"
I don't think its IMPOSSIBLE that a laptop could survive a cluster bomb attack I just find it UNLIKELY. Having worked in data recovery i know that these things also take time, and the Colombian govt. didn't waste any in making their claims.
I also find it UNLIKLEY that the FARC would carry such a item into foreign territory without basic public-key encription.
I also find it UNLIKELY that every state in the EU has been funding the FARC or that the FARC were trying to build a dirty bomb using un-enriched Uranium, and other claims made by the Laptop of Wonder.
I also find it UNLIKELY that a single laptop would also contain sensitive records going back ten years. (i mean, haven't the FARC heard of archiving?)
basically the whole damn story is UNLIKELY to the power of five, putting it in the WMDs in Iraq level of unlikely.
I also love the way that you dodged that whole 'stomped all over Ecuador's sovereignty thing' by saying that by Ecuador not doing what Colombia wanted them to do justifies whatever Colombia does on Ecuadoran soil. "But he started it, mom!".
Peter,
1) I find it unlikely that Interpol and the Venezuelan police can arrest two weapons dealers based on fabricated data obtained from a laptop. Yet they did.
2) I find it unlikely that Uribe would go to the international court with fabricated data, yet he was prepared to.
3) I find it unlikely that Correa and Chavez could be practically blackmailed into a deal at a diplomatic summit, yet apparently that was what happened.
4) I find it extremely unlikely that Chavez can not prove his innocence when confronted with fabricated data. He could not present one shred of evidence.
5) I find it *extremely* unlikely that at least half a douzen witnesses, among them a former DISIP director corroborate to fabricated findings.
6) A cluster bomb is a relatively weak device killing by pressure and shrapnels. I have seen pictures from the camp where even small dolls where practically left intact.
Finally: Apparently you are not informed. The laptop talks only about dealing with uranium. That can be done for profit or for dirty bombs.
Another thing peter: The documents do NOT talk about European countries funding the FARC, they talk about the European tour of Reyes (which he did).
Second, I did not dodge the issue. I said that neutrals in a conflict have responsibilities and plights stemming from international law - if they don't keep them, they are in no position to complain. It is strange how Chavez cries over souvereignity when it comes to him, but is not willing to keep international law himself.
Finally, if this would really have been staged, the Colombians would have covered it as a case covered under the Caroline criteria, i.e. an imminent attack being planned in this camp. This way the attack would have been *absolutely lawful".
"Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has made NO gestures or taken any steps whatsoever to further peace in Colombia"
So if a criminal group terrorizes people through violence and kidnapping, the democratically elected authorities should just accept them as a legitimate group with whom they must negotiate? If this were a street gang in New York we were talking about and they had kidnapped a few hundred innocent people off the streets as well as a citizen who was lawfully running in a democratic election for mayor, you would probably not assert that local authorities should be making gestures to further peace in the neighborhood.
1) I find it unlikely that Interpol and the Venezuelan police can arrest two weapons dealers based on fabricated data obtained from a laptop. Yet they did.
It's an arrest, not a conviction.
2) I find it unlikely that Uribe would go to the international court with fabricated data, yet he was prepared to.
He's currently fighting a masive para-political crisis where he's being linked to collusion with right-wing paramilitaries.
3) I find it unlikely that Correa and Chavez could be practically blackmailed into a deal at a diplomatic summit, yet apparently that was what happened.
They don't want war, but felt it necessary to mobilise troops on their borders to convince Uribe to back down. Uribe apologised, they accepted to apologie. They're not the ones who had to back down.
4) I find it extremely unlikely that Chavez can not prove his innocence when confronted with fabricated data. He could not present one shred of evidence.
They're not at the Hague yet, and may never be. Innocent until PROVEN guilty.
5) I find it *extremely* unlikely that at least half a douzen witnesses, among them a former DISIP director corroborate to fabricated findings.
The DISIP has had numerous human rights abuse accusations made against them while working under the auspices of the Jaminez government. These have been serious enough to the extent that Chavez has felt the need to remove many directors of the organisation from office. Personally I wouldn't trust them as far as they could waterboard me.
6) A cluster bomb is a relatively weak device killing by pressure and shrapnels. I have seen pictures from the camp where even small dolls where practically left intact.
Yeah, I gave you this one already. A laptop could survive this. It also might not. It would also be nice if they gave medical aid to those still dying while "finding" the "evidence" to justify a military strike on someone else's soil, but, hey, clearly they had prioirities. Right?
Finally: Apparently you are not informed. The laptop talks only about dealing with uranium. That can be done for profit or for dirty bombs.
But Uribe said that they were trying to make a dirty bomb. Actually I've heard no other third reports on the Uranium thing, exceopt for the US State department disagreeing with Uribe and arguing that the FARC 'may' have just been trying to make money by selling the uranium to another party. (also unenriched Uranium CAN'T make a dirty bomb, it's just science dude).
This is Greg Palast's take on the whole thing:
http://www.gregpalast.com/300-million-from-chavez-to-farc-a-fake/
give ya a whole different idea, don't it?
Oh, and this isn't a street gang, it's an organisation that controls more than 25% of Colombia as a result of an unresolved civil war. When you get that big, yes, you have to negotiate even if it's just surrender terms. This isn't a gang, people this is an organisation that has a social agenda. You need to remove the portrayal of the FARC as just narco-terrorists from the equation, particularly with the number of accusations made against Uribe that amount to him being the same, just with state power and US backing.
Peter
1) if you want to arrest somebody, you have to have some data, no ?
2)Look at the faces of Chavez and Correa when they accepted the apology. Aside that, 9000 troops are hardly enough to stop the Colombian Army. They outnumer the entire Venezuelan army 5:1 and are lightyears ahead in combat readiness.
3) With soaring approval numbers, Uribe is hardly fighting a political crisis.
4)The DISIP witnesses inlcude one of Chavez closest friends and co-golpistas of 1992 who presented ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
Concerning Greg Palast, he has as much of a clue as Eva Golinger.
Peter, I will give you an example of how clueless Palast is:
1) He totally disregards corroborating evidence for the FARC payments, most notably the statements of Col Jesus Urdaneta. These statements are especially damaging since Urdaneta is was not only a very close friend of Chavez, but also participated in the coup d'etat of 1992, threw away his entire career and risked prosecution by Chavez.
2)When he mentions the Para-scandal, he forgets to mention that the people involved in this scandal are actually prosecuted. In connection with the FARC scandal uncovered years ago by Urdaneta *no investigation at all* was initiated by the government of Chavez.
this guy is really clueless.
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