Colombian refugee calls for peace - 07 Mar 08

[Sebasalfonso]

this refugee doesn have Colombian accent, that is, he´s not colombian. I cannot trust him by the way.

[emil1647]

Look at what the US is doing with Israel in Middle-Eastand this is what they want to do with Colombia in Latin America'

[xxrev0ltxx]

The FARC is far less of a threat to the average Colombian in in the countryside than the state sponsored paramilitaries. Why Uribe went ahead and bombed the FARC leader who has begun to return hostages and halt hostage taking was nothing more than a way to disrupt Chavez's rising popularity within his own country. Pointing at the success and claiming a "victory" was a cheap political tactic, and now they're falsely accusing the ones who were dead of having ties with the Ecuador. Sickening.

[caa1000]

This explains the raw behavior that Venezuelan President turned dictator Hugo Chavez is showing. Declaring war against Colombia by throwing 10 batallions (Over 1000?), like if there is going to be a belic conflict and all the Colombian Government did, was to capture a narco-terrorist (Drug terrorist) hiding in the border with Ecuador. Venezuela has only being able to support Drug Supporters that the USA calls terrorist. But has Colombia attacked Venezuela? No! This all no-sense!

[nickvanzetti]

Raul Reyes was not a narco terrorist! Chavez is NOT a dictator! The USA is a narco Terrorist state with a corporate dictatorship!

[atreyuu12]

You are very ignorant about who are The Farc, and the situation in Colombia, read about how guerrilla use human feelings to get their objectives in militar strategy.

[nickvanzetti]

no i am not. I know very well about Colombia. Also guerilla warfare is well understood here.

[PauloGVieira]

I think you will find Chavez is not a dictator and has not declared war on Colombia. The issue is one's sovereignty and quite simply no country has the right to intervene on another sovereign territory without permission.

The reason why Colombia did not seek Ecuadorian permission for this recent incursion is because they would have been flatly rejected. Colombia's actions are not acceptable.

Reyes' was also France's contact to the FARC so Sarkozy is not happy.

[caa1000]

Can you imagine Osama Bin Laden in the same place than Raul Reyes, then Colombia would be praised as heroes by both Ecuador and Venezuela? Not in Chavez mind!

[PauloGVieira]

Raul Reyes has actually been Europe's contact with the FARC and France has admitted to productive and developing relations via Reyes.

For you to claim a simple deduction to Osama Bin Laden is a serious blight on your limited intelligence. Let's be grown up here and take this situation within context.

[hotspur2514]

I wish you were this articulate when commenting on Palestine.

[PauloGVieira]

I have said this to you many times - go back to Playstation and leave international affairs to the big boys.

[hotspur2514]

Look, if the burger-slinger comment is what's pissing you off, I apologise. It's obvious that you can be quite rational, but it looks like you CHOSE not to be, regarding the Palestininan story. That's why there is violence in the Middle East instead of a progressive, internationally backed, deal for Palestininans. The people who have the power to make a positive contribution, act in a self-centered, egotistic manner. They're probably telling their detractors to leave it to the big boys right now

[PauloGVieira]

"Progressive international backed deal, for Palestinians" - There was such an international consensus many years ago and it remains in UN resolutions. You Americans conveniently forget this and argue that the Palestinians need to further negotiate away the remaining 22% of their land!

Certainly you do not piss me off so do not flatter yourself.

Is your country bankrupt yet? I look forward to your lack of funds for your international mis-adventures from your impending recession.

[hotspur2514]

I'm not an American. I don't know why you would think I want Palestinians to lose more land. I just think that they should live in the land that they didn't lose in an unjust, sneaky war that they concocted with 3 other nations. And quit bitching about losing. The Jews just wanted it more. Waaaa! We got our arses kicked! It's not FAIR! It's not "theirs" They LOST it! Boo-fucking-hoo! Their lives will not improve unless they want it to. In peaceful countries you can live wherever you want.

[PauloGVieira]

"They should live in the land they didnt lose" - What is this the Roman Empire! This sort of deduction did not work for the colonisers of this world and its not going to work for Israel.

"Sneaky war" - Excuse me but I would hardly call a conflict for one's own self-determination, freedom and identity 'sneaky'.

"Quit bitching about losing" - There are no winners or losers but there is an undesirable situation at hand. 5 million Palestinians deserve their rights to self-determination.

[hotspur2514]

It's not a deduction, it's an opinion. But it's formed by facts: Israel's case for military action has always been solid, retaliatory strikes by Palestinians have targeted civilians or been so inaccurate as to become indiscriminate, and the last time a significant action took place, Israel took on a force twice it's size on 3 different fronts and trounced them in 6 days. I am pretty satisfied that the Jews have earned Israel. They even gave back Gaza. I wouldn't have.

[PauloGVieira]

"Retaliatory strikes by Palestinians have targeted civilians" - Yet despite this Israel has killed far more Palestinian civilians.

"Israel took on a force twice its size" - I see, and the Americans did not help Israel at all?

"the Jews have earned Israel" - You are a disgusting racist human being who is happy to accord rights to be people based on their religion and ethnicity, Jews can have their self-determination but Palestinians should be happy to be helots.

[hotspur2514]

Nobody wants to take away their rights. They just don't have that land anymore. Somebody should have mentioned that they might actually lose, back then. The world might be a better place.

[PauloGVieira]

"They just dont have that land anymore" - You do realiise it is not as simple as that. An entire Palestinian people are not going to disappear!

[hotspur2514]

OK, re the civilian deaths point: The IDF doesn't target civilians, Hamas does. Arab terrorist groups kill a greater percentage of civilians than IDF does, even if the IDF kills more civilians in total. And lets face it, a Palestinian man who bakes bread all day and fires rockets at night IS A LEGITIMATE TARGET. You can't keep padding your numbers forever.

[PauloGVieira]

This is an outright lie and you know it - as a proportion and in total Israel kills far more civilians. Period!

And an Israeli settler who is living illegally on land taken by force is thus a criminal and arguably also a legitimate target. Israeli citizens also fund a terrorist state that has more UN resolutions against it than any other. If those that support Hamas are targets then why not the other way round?

[hotspur2514]

Re the US involvement in the 6 day war: that's bullshit. Even the Arab leaders at the time have recanted those claims. It was just an effort to get the USSR involved. You need to read about this stuff.

[PauloGVieira]

Yawn! We both know this is not true as US reports that have since been revealed of this time recommended Israel not withdraw back to the 1967 lines.

[hotspur2514]

Re me being a racist: How the fuck is that? I don't care about their religion or ethnicity. Israel is a democratic country that has shown skill and guts in its own defence. I find that admirable. I admire them still for handing back Gaza. It's true that I don't prefer Palestinians, but they voted a terrorist group into power. You can't just keep a war going in this nuisance fashion. You need to summon up the blood and try to win, or settle. The other options lead to needless civilian deaths

[PauloGVieira]

"Israel is a democratic country" - Israel is a country that denies millions and millions of people it occupies a right to an effective political voice. So tell me again how democratic Israel is loser!

"Admirable for handing back Gaza" - And subsequently sealing its borders and denying food and medicine. I can see why someone of your ilk would find this admirable!

"They voted for a terrorist group" - And Israel votes for a government that denies an entire people their basic rights.

[hotspur2514]

Nobody wants the Palestinians to disappear. You need to read more. And you need to try and calm down and NOT act like a mindless scimitar-wielding hate-screamer. Because it's not fair to Palestinians.

[PauloGVieira]

Then deal with it because there are 5 million of them in the world, when you combine that with Israeli Arabs you have a Jewish state that teeters on the edge of extinction.

I am happy for Israel to take over all Palestinian land on the provision that it afford all those on it the same rights and dignity. Do you agree with this or once again prefer one set of rules for Jews and the other for Palestinians?

Israel cannot have its cake and eat it, take the land and take all its people too.

[hotspur2514]

"This is an outright lie..." -- at least try to prove it.

"...an Israeli settler ... is thus a criminal and ... a legitimate target" -- maybe for prosecution but NOT a rocket.

"If supporters of Hamas are targets..." -- when did I say that?

"Period!" -- You still haven't calmed down. I was hoping you were up to this, but I think I'll go back to my "playstation" Good luck convincing others that you are one of the "big boys"

[PauloGVieira]

"At least try to prove it" - I dont need to because the UN does. This is the organisation that your tax-dollars go to, provided you actually have a job.

"Maybe for prosecution but NOT a rocket" - I agree that no one deserves to be attacked in such a way, if only you could extend such a standard to non-Jews.

Silly Americans - dont even have a passport yet think they can dictate standards to the world.

[vivalatinoamerica]

Washington, D.C., 1 August 2004 - Then-Senator and now President Álvaro Uribe Vélez of Colombia was a "close personal friend of Pablo Escobar" who was "dedicated to collaboration with the Medellín [drug] cartel at high government levels," according to a 1991 intelligence report from U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officials in Colombia. The document was posted today on the website of the National Security Archive,

[CultureWar77]

Nice spin.

FARC is a terrorist organization, they are not "refugees" or "freedom fighters".

[nickvanzetti]

Little do you know! Farc is a Marxist revolutionary group who are fighting for their people!

[CultureWar77]

Yes, I know they are a Marxist/Socialist group. But denying the fact that FARC is a terrorist organization is not only false, it's intellectually dishonest.

[HarveyMacMorris]

December 13, a Denmark court rendered the first European decision declaring that FARC is not a terrorist organization.

"FARC and PFLP,were not engaged in 'terrorizing the population,' as is required in Danish law, paragraph 114, to be classified as terrorist, nor was their intent to 'destabilize or destroy the land's basic, political, constitutional, economic or societal structures'."

[CultureWar77]

I could give a rats ass what Denmark says about FARC. Besides, what makes you think they know more about FARC than Colombia does?

[HarveyMacMorris]

What makes you believe you know more about FARC than Denmark does? Do you believe everything the Colombian torture and murder regime tells you? It is one of the most brutal human rights abusing regimes in the world. Do you support Uribes allies in the AUC death squads?

[HarveyMacMorris]

What makes you believe you know more about FARC than Denmark does? Do you believe everything the Colombian torture and murder regime tells you? It is one of the most brutal human rights abusing regimes in the world. Do you support Uribes allies in the AUC death squads?

[PauloGVieira]

Denmark has quite a fine standing when it comes to the international community and human rights - they are one of the few countries who actually contribute their required funding levy to the UN.

[atreyuu12]

Son terroristas porque secuestran, siembran minas, quiebrapatas, ponen carros bomba, usan sentimientos humanos como estrategia militar.Ya perdieron sus ideales

[PauloGVieira]

And you think its as simple as that - I can assure you your government has killed more people.

[atreyuu12]

Son terroristas porque secuestran, siembran minas, quiebrapatas, ponen carros bomba, usan sentimientos humanos como estrategia militar.Ya perdieron sus ideales

[atreyuu12]

hahahah, very funny, you dont know nothing about Raul Reyes. Do you think Reyes is like Robin Hood?? is a kdnapper and kill innocent people, read a little more.

[nickvanzetti]

innocent??? nobody is innocent!

[PauloGVieira]

Raul Reyes was Europe's contact with the FARC and under his guise saw the release of numerous hostages, an unprecedented event for many years.

Certaily Reyes and the FARC are not guys but they are an extreme response to an extremely corrupt, ineffective and poverty ridden country. You cannot understand one without the other.

[Zoootex]

The farc originated as you described, what they are now distant from that.