Bush, Uribe pledge to crack down on terrorism

Reuters ^ | 9/25/02 | Patricia Wilson

[mac_truck]

By Patricia Wilson

WASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - With the indictment of Colombia's most powerful far-right warlord in hand, President George W. Bush and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe vowed on Wednesday to go after others who "terrorize the world."

"Terrorists attacked our country and hurt us," Bush said at the start of an Oval Office meeting with Uribe. "They attack Colombia and hurt them, they're still equally as guilty as far we're concerned. Doesn't matter who the victim is. What matters is whether or not they're practicing terrorist activities."

In an announcement timed to coincide with Uribe's White House visit, the Justice Department unsealed drug trafficking indictments on Tuesday against three members of Colombia's right-wing paramilitary forces, including leader Carlos Castano who said later he would turn himself in.

News of Castano's indictment came as the recently elected Uribe, a strong supporter of U.S.-backed anti-drug programs, visited Washington to seek financial backing for his military and social spending plans.

Some in Congress, which must approve aid to Colombia, have raised questions about ties between the paramilitary and the Colombian government as Bogota battles leftist rebels.

But Uribe asked for U.S. support, and for Bush's support personally "to solve problems of violence, economic and social problems."

"You have set up a very effective example of the way we need to go on to fight and to defeat terrorism," he added.

The U.S. government's indictment alleges Castano, head of the outlawed United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (commonly known as AUC) smuggled more than 17 tons of cocaine into the United States and Europe since 1997. Also indicted were two of his deputies. The AUC is on the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations.

U.S. WILLING TO HELP

"If there are terrorists, we're going to hold them to account," Bush said. "So the guy (who) got indicted yesterday made a decision to be a terrorist, we made a decision to hold him to account. ... I look forward to working with President Uribe to hold others to account if they continue to terrorize the world."

Uribe met with members of the Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday. Congress is considering the Bush administration's request for about $430 million for Colombia, most of it for security and counter-narcotics programs.

"We discussed his plans, and I let him know of my concerns, especially about the failures of the Colombian justice system to prosecute high-level military and paramilitary leaders responsible for human rights violations," Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said. " Impunity is the norm, and justice is not. This is one of his biggest challenges."

As Uribe began his visit, U.S. officials said Washington was ready to help him win support from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill sat in on the Oval Office meeting between Bush and Uribe.

Uribe, who took office in August, is seeking international credit to keep the country solvent. The United States has sunk more than $1.5 billion into Colombia's war against drugs and this year agreed to extend its assistance to include the fight against the rebels.

[mac_truck]

Another front is opened in the war on terrorism...

[justshutupandtakeit]

Every little bit helps.

[mac_truck]

President Uribe looks like he might be the real deal. Here is a brief synopsis on him:

...Alvaro Uribe, an independent, Oxford- and Harvard-trained former mayor and governor whose father was killed by the rebels and who has himself survived four assassination attempts. Uribe was elected with an unprecedented first-round majority after Colombia's four-year-old peace process collapsed earlier this year. Sweeping into office on a hard-line platform, the president-elect promised to provide Colombians with "democratic security" -- meaning a frontal assault on the country's two leftist guerrilla groups and, perhaps, its right-wing paramilitaries as well.

[mac_truck]

Hollywood is gonna freak out when their number 1 source of cocaine dries up. Betty Ford is going to be standing room only...

[justshutupandtakeit]

Interesting. Looks like you are right, but he has a hell of a battle before him trying to straighten out Columbia a land where Civil War is endemic and has been for decades.

[hchutch]

Yeah, but I don't see how going after Castano is the solution. The man was trying to EXTRICATE the AUC from drug lords.

Something's not right here. Everything I've seen about Castano goes completely against what this indictment alleges. And Castano is NOT acting like a man who has anything to hide.

[mac_truck]

Not sure what information sources you have on Castano and UAC, would you cite them?

Otherwise, I'd have to go along with the US Justice Dept. on this one. If Ashcroft wants Castano and Uribe can deliver him, so be it.

[hchutch]

Interview withthe Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A47019-2001Mar9&notFound=true

Time Magazine article:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,88786,00.html

The guy doesn't sounds like a typical drug lord or a bad guy, and the guy's surrendering, not running as a fugitive. Heck, last year, he was OFFERING us a bunch of drug lords on a silver platter. I don't know if this is Clintonistas who had some romanticized notion about FARC or ELN, but Castano's never struck me as a bad guy, and his actions are not those of a man guilty of trafficking cocaine.

He's acknowledged shaking down drug lords, and I'd trust him on that, but this indictment is claiming stuff that I find VERY difficult to believe about Mr. Castano, based on the profiles. Drug traffickers would have shot at eradication flights. Castano gave orders AGAINST such an action.

This entire thing does not sound like the Carlos Castano I've picked up from my research.

[hchutch]

Here's a pretty comprehensive link. some articles in Spanish.

http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~delacova/auc.htm

[mac_truck]

Those links are interesting reading. My understanding is that the UAC 'taxed' local drug operations in areas they controlled, and that they have links to both the Columbian Army and the Columbian Congress.

What is your take on Uribe? Is he up to the task of delivering Columbia from terrorism?

[livius]

I don't understand it, either. The AUC is not the big problem in Colombia - FARC and ELN have that honor, and the AUC is basically a response to them.

Not that AUC has perfectly clean hands - but why not start with the radical leftist guerrillas, who really are the big problem in Colombia? (And who sell lots of cocaine and extort money from lots of oil companies and kill lots of mayors of little tiny villages in Aruaca just to prove their point?)

[hchutch]

Uribe might be able to do it, but not on his own. Castano improves the odds for our side.