Ecuador sees ties between Correa's ex-aides and FARC [View All]

[Zorro]

Source: Reuters

Documents in which a slain leader of Colombia's FARC rebel group said he gave money to former aides of leftist Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa appear to be genuine, Ecuador's government said on Thursday.

Revelations from the diary of Raul Reyes, a top guerrilla commander killed in 2008, threaten to widen the rift between U.S.-backed Colombia and socialist leaders in the Andean region, including Correa, who criticize the United States while forging ties with Russia, China and Iran.

"(The diary) looks genuine, that's why we have shown it, but ... it's still an alleged proof, until the attorney in charge of the investigation says that it is real," Defense Minister Javier Ponce told reporters.

Reyes was a commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, branded a terrorist group by Washington.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090730/wl_nm/us_ecuador_rebels_1