Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Tangled Web Part 3

I don’t know how long I’ll continue doing updates on this story, but it’s still far too interesting to set aside.

  • The Venezuelan government says it does not need Colombia for domestic food "sovereignty." Aside from Argentina and Brazil, it can also get its food from powerhouses like Nicaragua and Belarus. If trade remains disrupted, then Chávez will very quickly have to put his money where his mouth is.

  • Rafael Correa’s goal is to get Colombia to admit it violated Ecuador’s sovereignty and apologize, possibly even a censure. Most Latin American countries have expressed “rejection” (which seems to be the most common rhetoric being used) of the incursion in some form or another. They then want the OAS to deal with it.

  • Colombia says it already apologized, but it was one of those “we’re sorry that we’re being forced to apologize, and we would do it again” types of apologies.
  • Correa also made vague threats about “doing what it takes” to “defend ourselves” if Colombia does not apologize.
  • The Ecuadorian Minister of Internal Security suggested having a multinational force patrol Colombia’s border with Ecuador. That might not be such a bad idea.
  • The OAS emergency meeting did not yield a statement on the crisis:

An understanding was beginning to be worked out with Colombia admitting that a country’s territorial integrity in “inviolable” and can not be the object of “force measures by another country”.

However Colombia objected to the last wording and insisted that combating terrorism and terrorism financing is a priority for the (South American) continent and should also be included in the draft.

The Venezuelan delegate said that OAS would have no meaning if it wasn’t able to confirm that a sovereignty violation act has been committed against one of its members.


  • Lastly, the OAS has the laptops. So who gets to check them out?



10 comments:

Paul 8:44 AM  

So when is Ecuador going to apologize for harboring Reyes and his fellow murderers?

The over-the-top reactions by Correa and Chavez over the death of a terrorist have illustrated a classic "doth protest too much" situation.

Anonymous,  9:35 AM  

Lets be clear here, neither the FARC nor the Colomban government are in the right. Both are violent and reprehensible organizations.

My question is one of timing. If Reyes was negotiating with Correa, France, and Chavez to release Betancourt and other hostages, and the strike comes one day after a "good faith" release of four hostages.....what motive would Uribe have to strike at Reyes other than to foul up the negotiations?

Paul 10:13 AM  

"Lets be clear here, neither the FARC nor the Colomban government are in the right. Both are violent and reprehensible organizations."

Let's be clear, there is no moral equivalence between the democratically elected govt of Colombia headed by a president with mid 80 percentile approval ratings, and a terrorist group almost universally hated by the Colombian people.

"..what motive would Uribe have to strike at Reyes other than to foul up the negotiations?"

Heh, what motive? Can anyone here think of any reasons Uribe might want to rid the earth of this terrorist swine? Kelby would like some answers. Here's a clue Kelby: go ask Uribe's dad what he thinks.

boz 10:21 AM  

My question is one of timing.

The Colombian government has been going after the FARC leadership for 44 years. Uribe came into office promising to go after the leadership six years ago. Colombia finally had actionable intelligence and they took the shot.

It's not like the Colombian government knows where all these guys are and they are waiting around for the precise right moment in which to strike so they can create an international incident. After 44 years, if they have a shot, they are going to take it.

If this incident had occurred at any point in the last six years, people outside of Colombia would be sitting around saying "oh, look at the timing..." and comparing it to something that was going on at that moment. If you're looking, it's too easy to find patterns where none exist.

Nichevo 11:43 AM  

With apologies if this is a no-no, but I liked this comment I read in a Caracas Chronicles discussion thread:

"The issue of hot pursuit (Persecucion en Caliente) it's and old problem that has been discussed plenty of times in the past between Venezuela and Colombia. Years ago the Venezuelan thesis was that to a certain point it should be allowed. In those times Venezuela had a reasonably well guarded border while in the Colombian side the guerilla ruled. Too many times the guerilla would go into Venezuela rob and attack and then return running to their side. Today under Chavez it seems to be other way around.
No one in their right mind would allow a hot pursuit of a foreign force into their territory, but the problem of the irregulars using the border to their advantage is too real and needs to be addressed seriously and not with rethoric as Correa and Chavez seem to want to do. There is a simple solution and that is active and agile cooperation between the armed forces in both sides of the frontier. Mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure swift and accurate communications between the posts close the border.
From what has transpired from this incident is clear that Ecuador was implementing those mechanisms with the FARC not with Colombia, and we know very well Chavez has been doing it for years as well. Had the colombian armed forces requested assistance or a green light from Quito most probably they would've tipped off Reyes instead."

Anonymous,  11:47 AM  

In response to Paul:

I don't think you can downplay what is an extremely corrupt and violent government. A government that willfully abuses its own citizens for political reasons should be just as accountable if not more accountable because they are abusing a position of trust and power. You cannot deny that the government uses and allows repressive tactics such as extra-judicial killings and threats to shut up union-leaders, opposition politicians, journalists, and even the court system. The recent parapolitica scandal makes this even more clear.

As for Uribes father, are right wing narco-traffickers now more legitimate than left wing narco-trafficers? I only need to point you to declassified US intelligence documents to prove my point.

I criticize both the FARC and the Colombian government because the criticism deserving. You criticize only one side because of a political agenda.

Thank you for your input, Boz.

Justin Delacour 12:35 PM  

My question is one of timing. If Reyes was negotiating with Correa, France, and Chavez to release Betancourt and other hostages, and the strike comes one day after a "good faith" release of four hostages.....what motive would Uribe have to strike at Reyes other than to foul up the negotiations?

Ah, yes, the question that Boz and Greg will never ask (so as to cover Uribe's ass).

Paul 12:36 PM  

"A government that willfully abuses its own citizens for political reasons should be just as accountable if not more accountable because they are abusing a position of trust and power."

The latest Gallup poll has the Colombian people supporting Uribe's record on human rights at 77% approval. So they disagree with you. Do you live in Colombia?

"You cannot deny that the government uses and allows repressive tactics such as extra-judicial killings and threats to shut up union-leaders, opposition politicians, journalists, and even the court system."

You cannot deny the murder rate is at its lowest level in a generation, and kidnappings have decreased by 80 percent since Uribe took over. Unionist killings have declined by 80% under Uribe.

"As for Uribes father, are right wing narco-traffickers now more legitimate than left wing narco-trafficers? I only need to point you to declassified US intelligence documents to prove my point."

You have exactly 2 paragraphs in one document you refer to, and Uribe has responded to the allegations. Yeah, Uribe knew Pablo Escobar. He grew up in Medellin. Pablo Escobar was also a Senator in Colombia. Lots of people knew him.

"I criticize both the FARC and the Colombian government because the criticism deserving."

You draw a moral equivalence where not warranted.

"You criticize only one side because of a political agenda."

Yeah, democracy, and remarkable progress under Uribe.

Paul 12:40 PM  

"Ah, yes, the question that Boz and Greg will never ask (so as to cover Uribe's ass)."

Speaking of questions never answered:

Was Raul Reyes a "true revolutionary" as your master declared?

How long was your moment of silence for Reyes?

When are you going to be posting photos of your trips to Colombia?

------------------------------
So it's just false to suggest that Chavez has rhetorically supported the guerrillas' armed struggles."
~Justin Delacour

Greg Weeks 4:51 PM  

Quick update: the OAS decided not to condemn Colombia, but still say it violated international law. Talk about splitting hairs. The OAS will also create a commission to investigate.

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