More S. American Leftist Nations Line Up In Alliance Against U.S.-Backed Colombia
Daniel Ortega celebrating decision to let Iran establish base in Nicaragua
MANAGUA (Reuters) - Nicaragua broke off diplomatic ties with Colombia on Thursday, widening a Latin American crisis over a raid by Colombia on a rebel camp inside Ecuador last Saturday.
Venezuela and Ecuador have also cut relations with Colombia and poured troops to their frontiers with the U.S.-backed state in reaction to the cross-border raid, which prompted leftist allies in Latin America to line up against Colombia.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, an ex-guerrilla whose country is in a territorial dispute with Colombia, said he was breaking off relations “in solidarity” with Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, who was visiting Managua.
Ortega’s move strengthened the leftist alliance that has formed around Ecuador and Venezuela and left their neighbor, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, increasingly isolated and under pressure to apologize.
“We are breaking with the terrorist politics that Alvaro Uribe’s government is employing,” Ortega said.
With governments worldwide, including the United States and Russia, calling for a negotiated solution, Colombia played down worries that the dispute could escalate into what would be the first military conflict between Latin America nations in more than a decade.
“I don’t think there is a risk of war. The Colombian government has been very clear it won’t use force,” Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos told Reuters during a visit to Brussels for talks with EU officials.
“It won’t fall into the game of provocation.”
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who says socialism can unite South America against what it calls “U.S. imperialism,” jumped into the dispute during the weekend, warning war could break out.
He had been feuding for months with Colombia over his efforts at mediating the release of hostages held by the FARC guerrillas. A FARC leader who was negotiating hostage releases was among those killed in the Colombian cross-border raid.
BUSH-CHAVEZ DIVIDE
The Pentagon said a military conflict is unlikely — and international investors generally agree. Wall Street economists said they expect the crisis to blow over despite the leaders’ brinkmanship and risks of military missteps.
But the crisis has exposed divisions across the region.
A self-styled socialist revolutionary and Cuba ally, Chavez is the leader of a left-wing group of Latin American nations who get financial aid from Venezuela, a major oil exporting nation.
Most Latin American countries support Colombia against the Marxist rebels of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. But many, including diplomatic heavyweight Brazil, have also condemned Uribe for the raid and demanded he apologize to Ecuador.
U.S. President George W. Bush has vowed to stand by Uribe, whose country receives billions of dollars in U.S. military aid against guerrillas and drug-traffickers.
The United States helped block moves at the Organization of American States for a formal condemnation of Colombia this week. Instead, the Western Hemisphere’s top diplomatic body criticized Colombia for violating Ecuador’s sovereignty.
Correa welcomed that diplomatic move on Wednesday but said it did not go far enough.
He hopes to win an explicit condemnation against Colombia in a statement at a summit of Latin American leaders in the Dominican Republic, where he was headed later on Thursday.
“We have to make decisions … to clearly condemn the Colombian aggression and make sure this government never again dares to attack a brother country,” he said.
Uribe will also attend the summit, where he hopes to persuade leaders he had to act against the rebel FARC himself because Ecuador allows the guerrillas to take refuge there. Uribe also accuses Chavez of supporting the FARC, which has fought a decades-long insurgency.
It is not clear if Chavez will also travel to the Dominican Republic. But there is no doubt of his position.
“Never before has any country in Latin America reached the point of taking a preemptive attack doctrine or the doctrine of pursuing your internal enemies in every corner of the globe,” he said.
Re: picture …
Nothing quite like a neo-Commie/Marxist bitch who doesn’t shave her smelly pits …
March 6th, 2008 at 5:28 pmThis is what diplomacy gets you. We should have shot him and buried him in an unmarked grave years ago. Yeah, I know. That’s awful mean of me to say.
March 6th, 2008 at 5:46 pmI just love how these leftist pukes seem to forget Columbia didn’t attack Ecuador. It attacked terrorits taking refuge (which is probably Ecuadorian Gov’t Sanctioned) within Ecuador after they took hostile fire from the terrorists from across the border. Sounds justified and reasonable to me. A legitimate government might be upset at the incursion, but would be glad terrorists are no longer using its territory as a base camp.
But then again no one ever said leftist were either reasonable or legitimate.
I also read a story today about the border towns between Columbia and Venezuela…talking how the people go to Venezuela for Cheap Gas and Columbia for food and everything else as it is scarce in Hugo’s paradise. I thought Comrade Chavez and his socialist ideals fixed all that and that everyone was happy and food was plentiful under his wonderful socialist utopia rule…yeah right. I think the fuse is burning on whats left of his reign of power.
March 6th, 2008 at 6:04 pmI’m remembering a line from an old VN movie…
March 6th, 2008 at 6:57 pm“When are you gonna learn; you never have us outnumbered.”
Reuters: (Colombia’s) “increasingly isolated and under pressure to apologize”.
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For what?… a hot pursuit across the border, a dead terrorist leader responsible for thousands of dead Colombian civilians or is it the captured intelligence proving Chavez’s conspiring with FARC!
Wow, Reuters is an American hating French outfit.
March 6th, 2008 at 7:04 pmThe Columbian people have lived through hell with Pabalo Escobar and the Cali Cartel, they have earned a right to defend their homeland against the Ex KGB Crime family backed Leftists FARC. Thousands have died in the last 20 over this nightmare. Fuck those weak ass looting Leftists ignorant thugs.
March 6th, 2008 at 7:21 pmThey need us but our Congress has tied our hands. When the revolution starts, I’m checking in here first.
March 6th, 2008 at 7:34 pmDid R&P sign on? Or write the draft?
Chavez’ military knows better than to mess with the toughened Columbian forces. They threatened to depose him if he ordered them in.
March 6th, 2008 at 8:19 pmFuck South America, besides their their beautiful beaches, women, and amazing SCUBA diving spots…they ain’t worth shit.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:56 amI lived in Ecuador for a few years, I’ve seen their military. No worries guys, seriously.
We could send in our boyscouts and they’d kick their ecua-asses.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:15 amwhen the latins meet together in a few days we should have a good show..hell maybe even a shoot out, chavez would make a good target
March 7th, 2008 at 5:12 amIn reality if the information on the computers proves to be true, and you never know for sure, the Colombians would actually have a causus belli against Venezuela for sponsoring a terrorist organization (FARC).
March 7th, 2008 at 6:39 amColombia has been battling left-wing insurgents for more than four decades and enjoys close U.S. logistical and intelligence support. Venezuela’s military lacks combat experience but its air force has superior technology. Ecuador fought a month long border war with Peru in 1995.
COLOMBIA (includes army, navy, air force)
Regular troops: 254,300
Reservists: 61,900
National Police: 136,000 (many combat-trained and equipped).
Hardware: 115 combat-capable aircraft, including 22 ground-attack fighters, among them Mirages and Kfirs. Four surface combat ships
Defense budget in 2007: $5.1 billion
ECUADOR (includes army, navy, air force)
Regular troops: 57,100
Reservists: 118,000.
Hardware: 57 combat-capable aircraft including 31 fighters, among them Mirages and Kfirs. Eight surface combat ships.
Defense budget in 2007: $918 million
VENEZUELA (includes army, navy, air force, national huard):
Regular troops: 115,000
Reservists: 280,000 (estimated, fighting capability unknown)
Hardware: 94 combat-capable aircraft including 68 fighter jets including Sukhois, F-16s and Mirages. Recent military purchases include 53 helicopters, two dozen SU-30 Sukhoi fighter jets and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles. Six surface combat ships.
Defense budget in 2007: $2.56 billion
March 7th, 2008 at 7:51 am