Posted on 07/28/2004 12:05:00 PM PDT by Wolfstar
9 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Democratic presidential contender John Kerry, his running mate John Edwards and 21 other US senators this week called on Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to break ties between the Colombian army and the country's right-wing paramilitaries.
"We appreciate your commitment to establishing a secure future for Colombians and understand the difficult and complex challenges you face," the 23 senators told Uribe in a letter dated July 26, made available to AFP on Wednesday.
However, said the letter, "we remain deeply concerned about the continued levels of violence directed at the civilian population."
The letter, whose signatories were all Democrats except for Vermont independent James Jeffords, a converted Republican, urged Uribe to follow the recommendations of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) in dealing with violence in his country.
"The most urgent UNHCHR recommendation is to cut ties between the army and paramilitary forces engaged in abuses, by suspending, investigating and vigorously prosecuting officials engaged in such collaboration," said the letter.
"As you know, addressing these abuses requires impartial and effective justice," it said.
"The UN also raises important points regarding the vulnerability of human rights defenders, journalists and union leaders. Progress in investigating and prosecuting threats and attacks against such leaders is essential," said the letter.
1. The UN is all good.
2. We will meddle where Kofi wants us to meddle.
3. The "right wing" is all bad. They must be opposed everywhere.
This letter is also a reminder that Kerry strongly supported the communists in Nicaragua in the 1980's.
Kerry is obsessed with interfering in the internal functions of South American countries.
Jimmy Carter's policy visa vi El Salvadore all over again.
Thank God Castro is getting to old to take advantage of this nonsense for too much longer...
[BEGIN EXCERPTS]
BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe ordered his troops to launch a rescue operation if they locate a Roman Catholic bishop being held by Marxist rebels in jungle-covered mountains.
Hundreds of counterinsurgency forces searched the northwestern Casanare region Monday for signs of Misael Vacca Ramirez, the Bishop of Yopal. He was seized Sunday by members of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, the smaller of Colombia's two main rebel groups.
Vacca Ramirez has been involved in peace efforts between the government, leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitary groups battling for control of the oil-rich Casanare and Boyaca regions.
The ELN has been waging a 40-year-old war along with the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to topple the government and establish a Marxist-style state. The conflict claims an estimated 3,500 lives every year.
Kerry wants Colombia's left-wing communist factions to win.
It was leaked. Kerry's campaign never approved the release of this document.
Our current policy in Colombia has made enormous progress, after Clinton's policy virtually turned the country over to FARC (creating the need for the paramilitaries, since Colombia's own military could do nothing to protect its citizens). The paramilitaries are disarming at record rates right now, although various foreign NGOs are objecting to the amnesty being offered them.
The same amnesty is available to FARC members, btw, and some of them have taken advantage of it - but I think they're holding out to see what happens in our elections. If Bush gets reelected, their goose is cooked and you can look for many more of them to take advantage of the amnest; and at that point, the remaining paramilitaries will do the same.
What about the Sudan? Does he not care about Africa? His wife is from Africa, right?
Mustabeen a Republican leaker. Quick, let's investigate.
Since you made that observation, the first time I saw that photo, I thought the woman looked like Katherine Harris.
We had friends from Colombia with us last weekend (we used to live there), and they were very very pro-Uribe. He is absolutely no-nonsense on trying to make it a safer place. They say it's much better now than what it's been in years.
AND, by the way, this should never be indexed under "Columbia" since the country is COLOMBIA. Yes, I'm screaming.
She's a mystery woman.
You are correct..
The paramilitaries were formed because the military and the government were on the defensive. The army couldn't even protect themselves, much less the people. There have been several high-profile slaughters of police and soldiers even during peace talks, maybe especially during peace talks. The FARC loved humiliating peace envoys by having a huge slaughter occur during a well publicized visit. So private Colombians organized the "Self Defense" units to take the fight to the FARC.
The military, at least until recently, used the paras as shock troops, to "pacify" an area before they would dare to enter it.
The work we have done with the military over the last couple of years seems to be making the paras less necessary, and if Bush manages to get reelected, I expect to see the country being progressively taken back from the FARC. You will remember that during the last half of the nineties the FARC held an autonomous region the size of Switzerland with the acquiescence of the government, where the army dared not go. No longer.
If Kerry wins, expect to see Colombia blackmailed to prosecute the paras for war crimes, ignoring the fact that FARC lives by assassination and kidnapping and drug running, and fear only the paras.
I am really keeping the fingers and toes crossed for a Bush win, not only for the US, but for Colombia. My work frequently brings me into contact with the situation there (although I have never been to Colombia) and I have always felt that the country was totally betrayed by Clinton, whose policies resulted in giving away that area the size of Switzerland that you mentioned.
Now the people actually seem to have some hope of having a normal national life again, and I think there is a very positive feeling there - but as you say, this will all vanish if Kerry is elected.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.