Posted on 03/02/2008 1:59:08 PM PST by ricks_place
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has warned Colombia a strike against Farc rebels inside Venezuela like that in Ecuador on Saturday could start a war.
He was speaking after Colombian air and ground forces killed a senior member of the leftist rebels operating just inside Ecuadorean territory.
Farc spokesman Raul Reyes died along with at least 16 other rebels and one Colombian soldier, Bogota said.
Ecuador has protested to Colombia over the incursion.
'Very serious'
Venezuela's leftist leader has been mediating with Farc to secure the release of hostages the rebels hold.
The rebels recently freed four of about 40 political captives into the care of Mr Chavez.
Speaking at a televised meeting of his cabinet in Caracas on Saturday, Mr Chavez warned Colombia about attempting cross-border operations.
"Don't think about doing that over here because it would be very serious, it would be cause for war," he said.
The death of Reyes was described as the "biggest blow so far" to Farc by Colombian Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos.
Reyes was killed in an air raid followed by a ground operation, the minister said.
The rebels had been in a camp 1.8km (1 mile) on the Ecuadorian side of the border across from the province of Putumayo when the attack was called in, Mr Santos said.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe had earlier thanked Ecuador for its "co-operation", saying that "terrorism" did not respect borders.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa initially said he wanted clarification of the raid, which Mr Uribe had informed him about.
But Mr Correa has now said Ecuador will send a diplomatic note to protest at the "scandalous actions that are an aggression on our territory".
"The [Colombian] president either was poorly informed or brazenly lied to the president of Ecuador," Mr Correa said.
Aura evaporates
Reyes, 59, also known as Luis Edgar Devia, is the first member of Farc's ruling secretariat to be killed in combat in the group's 44-year history.
The BBC's Jeremy McDermott, in Medellin, says the military defeat of the Farc has been a cornerstone of President Uribe's administration since he came to power in 2002.
The killing of such a leading figure within Farc's secretariat means the group's aura of invincibility has evaporated, our correspondent adds.
With the ageing of Farc's leader, Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, Reyes had frequently been mentioned as a potential successor.
Colombia's government has received billions of dollars in aid to fight the guerrillas from the US administration which, along with the EU, views Farc as a terrorist organisation.
While Colombian troops have recently retaken control of areas previously held by rebel groups, Farc retains a strong hold over Colombia's more remote regions.
“Rebels,” that is Marxist narco-terrorists.
“Farc retains a strong hold over Colombia’s more remote regions”
Ya mean the areas controlled by the narco terrorists?
Burn em.
"Close to home is a third war on the horizon, between Venezuela and Colombia.
Chavez's rule and the Venezuelan economy are disintegrating. The time honored solution of dictators when they are in trouble is war with a foreign devil. There is no way he can coax his favorite devil into war with him - America, whom he revels in taunting and insulting. To his bottomless frustration, all he gets from us is a smirk and a shrug.
So he picks a proxy, our ally of Colombia run by a successful popular pro-US president, Alvaro Uribe. Chavez has tried to damage Uribe by supporting the narco-communist guerrillas of FARC, which at one time ruled an area within Colombia the size of Switzerland.
Thanks to Uribe, FARC is now on the ropes, and the Colombian people have shrugged off their fear of FARC. This Monday (2/4), millions of Colombians all over the country demonstrated against FARC and its atrocities against them. Chavez condemned the demos as a "march of hate and racism."
Chavez has spent billions on Russian weapons from Soviet MiG fighters to hundreds of thousands of AK-47 Kalashnikovs. With FARC failing and the US refusing his bait, he is going to create some excuse for invading Colombia. He can't wait until some Dem weenie is in the White House a year from now. Which means we'll be sending the Marines into Colombia to kick Chavez's commie butt at Uribe's urgent request.
Pray that Cheney can convince Bush to have them chase Chavez all the way to Caracas and rid Venezuela of his pestilence. There would be a ticker-tape rose petal parade for the Marines in downtown Caracas if they did."
bump
This may get interesting....those folks in S.
A. are not skilled in war....ask Argentina. Looks like a good time to watch Colombia do a job on Chavez.....and rid the world of a fool..
Actually, harboring FARC on Venezuelan territory is cause for war. Actually, since Chavez has been providing weapons, safe haven, secure rear basing, the occasional air support, Venezuelan citizenship for FARC commanders, and on and on, its pretty plain that it is Chavez who is at war with Colombia, and has been since he took office.
Chavez met with FARC prior to his election as president, and has had close and intimate ties with them since day one.
Colombia should ignore the buffoon, and take whatever action it must to finish dismantling FARC. Any cross border raids should be accompanied by "thanks" to the Venezuelan military for its invaluable assistance. That should keep Chavez awake nights worrying.
When its all said and done, Chavez will be an embarrassing footnote in Venezuelan history, and otherwise mostly forgotten. He will be too embarrassing to rate more than that in any Venezuelan high school history text. There will be no monuments, only the odd comic reference here and there in comedy routines.
Great No More Santuaries for Terrorists!
“Chavez will be an embarrassing footnote in Venezuelan history”. <P< Good! they need to sanction him before he mastesizes into another Castro.
Interesting situation, he gives safe haven to Farc, puts troops on the border, and dares colombia to do something about it.
The Argentine Air Force and Naval Air Arm were quite skillful. The RN suffered serious losses and were assisted greatly by an attack on Argentine airfields mounted from Chilean locations. This is not to say Chavez’s Venezuelans are the equal of the Argies pilots. But this nonsense could get out of hand really fast and with Iraq and the Stan going full bore we may be hard pressed to help the Colombians unless we unload some really heavy stuff, like the 509th from Missouri.
“This is Farcin’ War!”
Glad to see that Colombia has adopted the Bush doctrine vis a’ vis the FARC rebels, attacking them in neighboring countries that harbor them.. Its the only way to send the message that we will fight you wherever you are.. If only we would grow a pair and do the same w/ AQ and the Taliban in Pakistan...
Now he is emotionally urging the President of Colombia to enter "peace dialogues" with the leftist terrorists.
Figures! He and Ecuador and Venezuela and maybe Peru will all be in it together against Colombia.
What about Russia and Putin. I am quite sure that they (and the KGB) have interests in whats going on in Latin America.
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