Caracas, January 21, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com) - Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez compared his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe to a Mafia
boss and accused him of being a "sad pawn of US imperialism," in
response to what he called a "Colombian media offensive" and the recent
visit of top US authorities to Colombia, such as Pentagon Joint Chief
of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen and head of the US's Office of
National Drug Control Policy, John Walters. Walters had accused Chavez
of "making Venezuela a haven" for drug smuggling.
Relations between Venezuela and Colombia deteriorated in November last
year after Uribe abruptly terminated Chavez's mediating role in
negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for
the release of 45 hostages. Despite Chavez's success in securing the
release of two hostages, Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo
on January 10, tensions heightened again last week after Chavez said
the FARC should be removed from the list of terrorist organizations of
Colombia, the U.S., and the EU., upon which Colombia accused Chavez of
"interference."
While he criticized Venezuela, Walters praised Colombia - the world's
number one cocaine exporter, producing 60% of all cocaine - for its
efforts to combat drug trafficking.
Walters' comments are part of an international campaign "against
Venezuela, against the revolution, against the Venezuelan people,"
Chavez said during his weekly Sunday TV program Alo Presidente.
"They attack me, they accuse me of being a narco-trafficker and they
are repeating this to the whole world, but such is life, one that goes
around fighting for peace they accuse of being a threat," he added.
In reality, Chavez argued, it is President Uribe who is linked with
drug trafficking paramilitary groups, "He has strong connections with
paramilitaries, only the gringos protect him because he is their pawn."
Thirty-five Colombian legislators, including many of Uribe's political
supporters and family members are currently under investigation by the
Colombian Supreme Court for links to the paramilitaries and in 1991
Uribe himself appeared on the US State Department's list of the top 100
drug traffickers.
US criticism of Venezuelan drug interdiction efforts have increased
ever since Venezuela suspended cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) in 2005, saying DEA operatives were carrying out
illegal political espionage.
However, Venezuela has repeatedly ratified its determination to combat
drug trafficking and in 2007 intercepted and decommissioned 57.5 tons
of drugs and destroyed 13 illegal cocaine laboratories near the border
region with Colombia.
Vice President Ramón Carrizalez also announced a plan on Saturday to
increase National Guard operations in collaboration with Justice and
Interior Minister Rodríguez Chacín and the governors of Merida, Apure,
Tachira, Zulia and Barinas to combat crime and insecurity along the
border region with Colombia, a problem which he said is a direct result
of the military operations of Plan Colombia in the neighboring country.
"We are working...to combat insecurity in the frontier that translates
into hired assassinations, smuggling, the presence of paramilitaries,
homicides...an effect of the implementation of Plan Colombia."
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Chavez will succumb to CIA pressure ..... mental pressure , economic pressure , political pressure and finally psychological pressure
Posted by: J | January 23, 2008 at 02:11 AM
Chavez is the agressor. He is definately the pot calling the kettle blaque. He is something else. What else I can't say.
Posted by: tanning lotion | March 04, 2008 at 08:32 AM