A Columbian security official has provided AP with two documents suggesting formal behind the scenes cooperation between Ecuador's government and FARC. The documents were discovered during a recent Columbian raid one mile into Ecuador which also killed at least two top level FARC operators. They were on computers and there remains more analysis for Columbia to do, with help from the United States.
Ecuador was considering altering troop deployments to benefit FARC and possibly establishing even deeper ties with the terrorist group. With both Ecuador and Venezuela now having dispatched troops to their respective borders with Columbia, these developments could bring instability, if not outright war, to the region. And they could also very easily impact America's domestic politics. One would imagine all the campaigns are now formulating statements for Monday - except Huckabee, perhaps - he'll probably just continue to pray and hope for a miracle of some kind.
One of the documents, a word-processing file dated Jan. 18, said Reyes had met with Ecuador's minister of internal security, Gustavo Larrea, and the two had discussed Correa's "interest in making official relations with the FARC."
It did not specify a date or location for the meeting.
The document says Correa is prepared to make changes in his military leadership, that he refuses to back Colombia in its condemnation of the FARC and that the Ecuadorean president wants to get involved in efforts to secure a prisoner swap between the FARC and the Colombian government. Chavez was leading that effort until Uribe tried to cut him off in November.
It says Ecuador's government considers Uribe "a danger to the region" and says Ecuador would like it if the FARC released one of its hostages — a soldier named Pablo Moncayo who the FARC has held for a decade. Correa would then "provide protection to one of ours" would presumably represents the FARC before Ecuador's government.
Photocopies of the documents were provided to the AP by a senior member of Colombia's security forces, on condition he not be further identified because of their sensitivity.
The official said three notebook computers were found during Saturday's raid and that they contained a wealth of documents that Colombian authorities were only beginning to examine. He said U.S. assistance would be sought in analyzing them.
Congress better stand up and show support for Columbia.
Posted by: syn | Tuesday, March 04, 2008 at 09:25 AM