Chávez and Farc

I wrote a piece a couple of months ago on the intervention of President Chávez of Venezuela in a dispute between Colombia and Ecuador. I argued that his conduct was bellicose and inflammatory, in marked contrast to the diplomatic efforts of the OAS and the United States. But there was one issue I reserved judgement on. This was the allegation, made by Colombia, of links between Chávez's regime and the terrorist movement Farc.

Well, it appears that the charge is true. The Economist notes, in a characteristically understated way, that documents seen by the magazine "appear to show that Mr Chávez offered the FARC up to $300m, and talked of allocating the guerrillas an oil ration which they could sell for profit. They also suggest that Venezuelan army officers helped the FARC to obtain small arms, such as rocket-propelled grenades, and to set up meetings with arms dealers."

The documents have been recovered from the computers of Raúl Reyes, the Farc leader killed in a Colombian raid inside Ecuador last March. According to an Interpol investigation, the documents are authentic. If so, then there is no room for euphemism. Chávez is supporting a violent insurrectionary movement that abducts and murders civilians.

Comments

[Fabian from Israel]

I really hope the Argentinian government cuts all its links with this maniac.