Colombian president Uribe does not want the fate of Noriega from Panama
June 8, 2008
For the years of rule of Alvaro Uribe in Colombia the policy of state terrorism has never ended. Everything that central American regimes were notorious for in the years of fighting the guerilla units, including the former US favourite — a «strong man» of Panama Manuel Noriega — has flourished on the Colombian soil with the most magnificent colour. With special care they carry out «actions» on liquidation of political opponents, especially those that have a perspective to come to power as president, governor or alcald.
But the «lead» is also got by everybody others — trade union and student activists, peasant leaders, members of non-governmental organisations, the clergy that stand up for the interests of socially unprotected layers of population. Dozens of thousands of Colombians have fled the country to the neighbouring states for fear of repressions. Refugee camps — is a present day Colombian genocide in action. The military themselves quite frequently carry out deterrent actions against the peaceful population. There are known cases when in order to conceal their crimes, the bodies of innocent victims were dressed in a guerilla camouflage and arms put in their hands. Another successful operation has been completed! Bonuses are at special rates!
But the main executors of bloody violence are members of the ultra-right paramilitary groupings - «paramilitares» or «paracos» that allegedly have been completely «disarmed» in the present Colombia. Of course it is not like that, «Paracas» preserve their terrorist potential thanks to close ties with military and officials from DAS — Colombian political secret political police, the modus operandi of which is very similar to DINA of Pinochet. There is nothing strange about it. They have one and the same teachers — professionals of tortures from the USA with ineradicable Gestapo enthusiasm in the eyes.
Alvaro Uribe is very well aware of it all. But he publicly promised conciliation to the country, which does not yet come. That is why the proved methods of terror and provocation are in common use.
The issues of fighting against drug cartels are not going very well in Colombia. Supplies of cocaine and heroin to the United States and Europe grow with every passing year, and put the blame for it to the «drug laboratories» of guerillas is more and more difficult, as the official Bogota more and more often declares about actual destruction of guerilla groupings. You can't attribute these tons of drugs to the «Chavez regime» either, because after Venezuela refused from cooperation with DEA — the US drug fighting agency — the Venezuelan special services have noticeably increased the efficiency of their operations as for interception of drug shipments from Colombia.
At this unfavourable background Alvaro Uribe cannot help but be concerned about his destiny. So far the positive image of his is created by the North American and Colombian mass media. Manipulation of public opinion still yields fruit: even Uribe himself sometimes believes the ratings of «his popularity». But the power of oligarchs sooner or later will come to an end. Current political situation can be changed in the United States, as it used to be before, and the White House will demonstrate his «positiveness» at somebody else's expense. Hasn't Pinochet stigmatized as «traitors» his former friends in Washington, who inspired him to military coup in Chile? Haven't arrogant gringos «brought Manuel Noriega down a peg or two» in Panama when he revealed disobedience by taking too much interest in «independent» drug supplies to the United States?
Chain of political scandals does not promise Uribe anything good. Every day they give new names of those politicians and the top officials, including from the closest circle of the president, who sullied their names by too close contacts with «paramilitares».
Another political scandal pours light to how Uribe was re-elected to his second presidential term. After several years of fruitless expectation of «adequate reward» and a well-paid post in the state machine, former deputy Yidis Medina has slightly opened the «Pandora's box». She drew a curtain how she and her colleagues in the legislative body in 2006 were manipulated by «Uribists» so that the lawmakers voted for an amendment to Constitution allowing the president to be re-elected for the second term. Earlier such re-elections were not allowed by the national Constitution. What fast-talks were done by emissaries of Alvaro Uribe! Señora Medina could not resist and yielded to generous promises and voted as it was required. And many other deputies followed her suit.
Medina's statement caused shock in public circles of Colombia. Hardly anybody believed the disclaimers of officials. Following the decision of the Supreme Court the former deputy was arrested keeping in mind all seriousness of her accusations, and, to all appearances, to ensure her physical immunity. The practice of elimination of undesirable witnesses has reached in Colombia such a scale that there was no other way to guarantee her life.
The commission of the Colombian parliament has started investigation of circumstances on involvement of Uribe in these glaring corrupt practices. According to Medina, with full knowledge of Uribe, they used the tactics of individual brainwashing, bribery, promises of material and other «compensations», even resorted to such peculiar for the Colombian political life method as blackmailing.
Conspirators have reached their goal: the Constitution has been accordingly «amended» and Uribe once again occupied the presidential chair. All the interested sides have celebrated the victory: Colombian oligarchs, drug mafia, reactionary military authorities, subordinate to him terrorist paramilitary groupings, and, of course, in Washington, where they did not doubt that Uribe would henceforth diligently «ensure» interests of the empire in the country and the region.
And it is guaranteed by a large, multifile record for the Colombian in special services of the USA and which is constantly replenished with fresh materials. To be on the safe side, and in order to keep Uribe on a short leash, from the territory of the USA there keep on coming «signals» about availability of compromising information on him. One of the recent such «signals» was publishing in the English and Spanish languages the book of recollections of famous in Colombia television anchorwoman Virginia Vallejo about her lover Pablo Escobar, the largest Colombian drug mafioso. The book gives a transparent allusion to special relations of Escobar and Uribe, which became so intensive, that even under «father Bush» this inexperienced Colombian politician was blacklisted as the person presenting the biggest danger for the USA security.
Vallejo just gave a hint to relations of Uribe with Medelian drug cartel, but those functionaries in the USA, who are duty-bound «to be in the picture», know the ins and outs of the current president. It is the explanation of striking «controllability» of Uribe, his readiness to follow in the bulk of instructions from Washington, often to the prejudice of the Colombian national interests.
Without consent of Uribe it would be impossible to carry out a missile attack (on March 1, current year) on temporary guerilla camp of Armed revolutionary forces of Colombia (FARC) in the borderline zone on the territory of Ecuador and further «combing» by Colombian commandos with the support of aircraft and USA advisors. The Americans used their bases in Manta (Ecuador) and Tres Esquinas (Colombia) to carry out the action.
The provocative nature of that operation, planned after the American tracing papers, lead to sharp aggravation of the regional situation, frustration of efforts of Venezuela, Ecuador and France to liberate hostages from FARC camps in Colombia. Somewhere in remote selva in guerilla captivity on the brink of her physical strength still remains an ex-senator Ingrid Betancourt, who, if we believe the forecasts, when gets free, could win the next presidential elections, having made null and void expectations of Uribe for the third term in the Nariño palace.
The perspective of the dialogue on settling the peaceful process in Colombia has also been struck out. Any positive results in this direction are unacceptable for the United States as they, in the end, threaten to removal of their militar bases from the country, refusal from thoroughly masterminded plans in «involving» Colombia to the armed conflict with Venezuela. Washington badly needs «its Gleiwitz», that is a large scale provocation similar to that which once was arranged by the Hitlerites to justify invasion to Poland. But to the great disappointment of hawks from Washington, seemingly reliable, the «Uribe card, this time failed.
In the course of summit of Rio Group held in Dominican republic, immediately after Colombian-American «preventive attack» on the FARC guerilla camp, by general efforts of Latin American presidents they managed to achieve temporary relaxation as per formula «a lean compromise is better than a fat lawsuit». Leaders of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Ecuador, the states that are daily and very negatively effected by the inner war in Colombia, took a correct stand. Aspirations of «hawks» from Washington to boost contradictions and conflicts between the member-countries have been frustrated.
Alvaro Uribe was not clearly ready to such a kicker. He looked uncertain, rather confused, failing to get tuned to deliver a diatribe, to which he was prepared in Bogota. According to an influential Venezuelan journalist Jose Vicente Rangel, Uribe after his return to Colombia, got a good scolding from his «employers».
Rangel and some other experts, who watched the development of events in Colombia, do not exclude that Uribe, in order to «rehabilitate himself» can resort to extreme measures. He just does not have another way out. And alarming testimony of this is the course to arms race. The Colombian army is, as it is, armed to the teeth. But with assistance from the USA it actively increases its war potential for solution by far the largest scale tasks than defeating guerilla groupings. Recently it has been officially announced that in the current year 25 helicopters, 8 combat aircraft, 187 armoured personnel carriers, thousands of units of modern small arms will be supplied to Colombia. There exist other plans to increase the stocks of deadly arsenals. Can it be that after Ecuador, will Venezuela, which Washington and Bogota during all the recent months were jointly accusing of sheltering the guerilla-«terrorists», be attacked?
The Hugo Chavez government, about the forthcoming downfall of which was often announced by its inner and outer enemies, is more and more getting consolidated, more and more successfully fighting the conspiracies that are initiated in the corridors of power and special services of the United States. International support to the state that dared to stand for its right to sovereignty, independence, choice of political system, to unrestricted by anyone or anything ownership of oil-gas deposits on its own territory, is getting stronger.
According to influential political scientists, in the conditions of increasing world energy crisis and, in connection with this, invariably catastrophic predictions for the USA economy, the G. Bush administration, even on the decline of its rule, in order to reverse the situation to its advantage, can resort to the most radical steps.
Hawks in Washington are ready to give a green light to actions. And there is a man in Colombia, who is ready to obey the order...