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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - A single laptop can reveal much, and so it is with the digital treasure chest that Colombian commandos found in the jungle quarters of slain rebel leader Raul Reyes. Files in the computer seized in Saturday's raid into Ecuador that claimed the lives of Reyes and 23 of his comrades offer an intimate portrait of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's desire to undermine Colombia's U.S.-allied government. If authentic, the documents show that sympathies Chavez first aired publicly in January grew out of a relationship that dates back more than a decade. But Chavez is not one of...

War: A Spanish court has charged Venezuela with collaborating in a terrorist plot to assassinate President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia. That's an attempt on a top U.S. ally, and calls for a hard response. If it's not predator-drone time, it's time to name Venezuela as a state sponsor of terror. What came to light Monday isn't the first time Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has been caught aiding terrorists, but it may well be the most egregious. Spanish Judge Eloy Velasco named a Venezuelan government official as a key link between 12 FARC and ETA terrorists who were indicted in a 2003...

The Colombian constitutional court has rejected a referendum which could have led to President Alvaro Uribe running for a third term in office.The court voted 7-2 against a proposal backed by parliament to hold a vote on amending the constitution to allow for three terms. Mr Uribe won an amendment in 2005 that let him run for a second term in 2006. Following the ruling, former Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos confirmed he would run for the presidency. Mr Santos, credited with helping Mr Uribe's government's efforts against left-wing Farc rebels, said: "What we need to do now is work...

Leadership: Gen. Ulysses Grant won our Civil War by doggedly pursuing the enemy even after winning battles. That's occurring in Colombia, where President Uribe is stepping up an already impressive war effort.As we went to press, Colombia was set to sign a pact over the weekend with the U.S. for access to seven military bases on its territory. It's an unprecedented vote of confidence in U.S. troops and will substantially expand both countries' capacity to fight drugs and terror. But more than that, it's a strong sign President Alvaro Uribe intends to crush FARC's Marxist narcoterrorists, the group that's been...

The Colombian TV released footage taken by the army during the rescue operation of July 2, 2008 where several hostages were freed, including presidential hopeful Ingrid Betancourt and 3 American citizens. American CIA and Israeli Mossad were involved in this operation.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan troops mobilized for the Colombian border on Tuesday after President Hugo Chavez ordered 10 battalions to the frontier. Hundreds of Venezuelan troops were seen boarding four buses and eight trucks at the Paramaracay base in the central city of Valencia on Tuesday morning. A helicopter flew overhead. A base official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were heading for the Colombian border, though she didn't specify the location. Elsewhere, in the northern state of Lara, pro-Chavez Gov. Luis Reyes said Tuesday that batallions in his state were heading for the border. "There are mobilizations...

Troops have been deployed to boost police presence in Bogota US President George W Bush has arrived in Colombia as part of his five-nation Latin American tour.He will meet President Alvaro Uribe in a display of support for efforts to combat that country's insurgency. Colombia is one of the largest recipients of US aid to help fight a long-running war against left-wing guerrillas and drug traffickers. The visit is being overshadowed by a political scandal, which has raised questions about US support in Congress. The scandal has linked a number of President Uribe's government politicians to right-wing paramilitaries. Some...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Note: Since this is a "portal" site, to specifically locate the original article in Spanish select "Judicial" from the menu bar at left, then scroll down to the article entitled "Las Farc ofrecen defender a Venezuela en caso de invasión estadounidense" and then click "Ver mas" just below the article title and to the right ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Colombia's FARC offers to defend Venezuela in case of a U.S. attack (Translation) The active armed group made its offer to Venezuela to fight against the United States if it eventually invades the nation. In a document of greetings released by the FARC1 to...

BOGOTA: Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, an ally of US President George W.Bush, has won a second term, thwarting the plan of populist left-wing Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to spread revolution throughout Latin America. The 53-year-old lawyer, trained in the US and Britain, secured just over 62per cent of the vote and a lead of 40 points over his closest rival, left-wing senator Carlos Gaviria. Mr Uribe must now fullfil a pledge to wrest control of Colombia from drug traffickers and leftist guerillas, while dispelling concerns he may abuse his powerful mandate. The victory marked the first re-election by a Colombian...

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has accepted the offer of the country's Catholic bishops to serve as mediators in the country's civil war. "The government accepts the Church's efforts for a preliminary dialogue aimed at a ceasefire," the Colombian leader announced after a meeting with the bishops. That statement marks a significant shift from Uribe's previous public stance, which had called for rebels to accept a ceasefire before any talks could take place. Uribe acknowledged that the bishops have already met with some success in talks with the two rebel factions. Despite an aggressive military campaign, the Colombian government has been...

President George W Bush welcomes Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe to his ranch in Texas, they went for a drive, held a private meeting, and then held a joint press conference. After lunch they spent the afternoon discussing regional security and diplomatic issues. Further background can be found at President Alvaro visits Crawford Vice President Dick Cheney is leading a delegation to Saudi Arabia to pay respects to King Fahd (no photos or report to be found almost as if there is a media black out on this). This is strange in 2 respects one no photos and that all reports...

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush has turned his remote ranch into a stage for down-home diplomacy, where a barbecue grill and a pickup truck have become his favorite tools for dealing with world leaders. The 1,600-acre property in central Texas is a place where aides say the president feels most comfortable and can spend more get-to-know-you time with his guests than in hurried Washington. On Thursday, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will be the 14th foreign leader to visit the ranch. Bush's dog once wandered through a press conference with the Australian prime minister. The president led the Saudi crown prince...

BOGOTA, Colombia - President Alvaro Uribe was hospitalized with a stomach infection Thursday, forcing the postponement of a fence-mending summit with Venezuela's president, officials said. Uribe was taken to a hospital in the coastal city of Cartagena, his office said in a statement. It provided no other details. Earlier, the office said he had contracted food poisoning. Uribe's trip to Caracas, set for Thursday, was put on hold until his medical team determines he's fit to travel, a statement from his office said. Uribe was in Cartagena to attend the opening of a two-day international donors' conference. The two...

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela and Colombia announced a settlement Friday in a bitter dispute over the capture of a Colombian rebel on Venezuelan soil, easing the worst diplomatic crisis between the South American countries in decades. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's office said in a statement Friday night that "the incident has been resolved" and that Uribe would meet Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Thursday in Venezuela. The conflict began nearly seven weeks ago, when the prominent Colombian rebel Rodrigo Granda stepped outside a cafe onto the streets of Caracas and bounty hunters seized him, pushed him into a sport utility...

Clinton Judge Emasculates Law Enforcement Agencies as Communist and Anarchist groups Plan Disruptions of Inaugural; Colombian Terrorists Target Bush for Death By Special Reports | January 18, 2005 Rulings by a Clinton-appointed federal judge, Gladys Kessler, have given unprecedented access to protesters to the inaugural parade route so that their "civil rights" may be protected. While the Washington Post and other Bush-bashing media are focusing on the cost of the January 20 Inauguration, a much more serious issue has emerged. Communist and anarchist groups may be planning to disrupt the inaugural and possibly commit violence. One organization sympathetic to a...

He said some NGOs avoid pronouncing themselves on actions by organizations with which they seem to have idelogical coincidence "It hurts me that yesterday 34 peasants had their throats slit and Amnesty International keeps quiet. Amnesty International, the same one that abuses its good reputation to accuse the Colombian Armed Forces, to mistreat it with ill words, to mistreat it with slander", he declared on a Police ceremony. Amnesty Internationa, the one that at this hour hasn't pronounced itself, and that roams the European governments' high offices asking for the condemn the Colombian government, because, they say, it's terrorist", added...

BOGOTA, Colombia - Three U.S. military contractors captured by Colombian rebels more than a year ago are in good health but will never be freed except as part of a broad prisoner exchange, a senior rebel commander said Friday. Tom Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell — who were captured by rebels in February 2003 when their single-engine plane crash-landed in southern Colombia — will be released with dozens of other rebel hostages only in exchange for all rebels being held in Colombian jails, rebel commander Raul Reyes told The Associated Press. Reyes ruled out a direct swap with the...

I went to my place of birth, Barranquilla, Colombia (pop.: approx. 1.3 million), for 2 weeks, from January 2-19. Pretty much I arrived to the same country I left 3 years ago: -Same guerrilla and paramilitary violence. -Same recession. -Same widespread corruption. But, hey, I still love the place. A few anecdotes: 1) My dad gave me his car to move around in town, because I wanted to rent a car (not a very bright idea there). One of my cousins, a 34-year-old Bill Clinton sexual emulator wanted me to take him to a particularly seedy part of the city...

Alvaro Uribe, president of the Republic of Colombia, inherited a country in disarray when he came to office in 2002. Violence was on the rise. Three illegal, armed groups - two of them leftist guerrilla organizations and one a right-wing paramilitary - were growing at an unprecedented rate, feeding on trafficking in drugs and contributing to the overall chaos. At the time, "Plan Colombia" - the U.S.-sponsored initiative to fight drugs in the South American nation - seemed to be going nowhere and perhaps doomed to failure. President Andres Pastrana, Uribe's predecessor, was trying to reach a peace agreement with...