Colombian ex-rebel says he saw Irish trio setting off explosives *** BOGOTA - In dramatic testimony, a former Colombian guerrilla, Edwin Giovanni Rodríguez, testified Friday in a packed courtroom that he witnessed three suspected members of the Irish Republican Army testing weapons in Colombia's former demilitarized zone. James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley were arrested in August 2001 at Bogotá's El Dorado airport on charges of using false passports.
The three men were later found to have IRA links and are on trial for allegedly helping train the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the country's largest insurgent group. Surrounded by heavy security, Rodríguez, 25, testified wearing a bulletproof vest after being transported from prison in Villavicencio, where he is serving a four-year sentence. Rodríguez, the ex-chauffeur for FARC commander Jorge Briceño described three men whose names he could not confirm who he claimed to have seen in the former demilitarized zone starting on Feb. 5, 2001.***
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warns nations not to complicate crisis *** CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez warned nations endorsing early elections not to be misguided by opposition allegations that he is leading a dictatorial regime. Chavez urged the so-called "Group of Friends," a forum of six nations backing negotiations mediated by the Organization of American States, to "understand the truth about Venezuela." "In Venezuela, there is a legitimate government, a democratic government," Chavez said during a speech to foreign diplomats. "It's necessary to recognize that reality." Opposition leaders claim Chavez, a former paratrooper who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, is riding roughshod over the nation's democratic institutions.
Meanwhile, a melee between opposition sympathizers and municipal police under the command of a ruling party mayor erupted outside a building in Caracas where a petition backing early elections is stored. No injuries were reported. Dozens of opposition supporters pledged to secure the building through the night and accused police of attempting a raid. "We are going to stay here all night to safeguard the signatures," said Geraldo Blyde, a member of the Justice First opposition party. ***