Colombia accuses Swiss diplomat of financing FARC

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Xinhua

Colombia accuses Swiss diplomat of financing FARC
www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-07 10:10:07

BOGOTA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos has accused Swiss diplomat Jean Paul Gontard of giving 500,000 U.S. dollars, which were seized in Costa Rica, to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), local daily El Tiempo said Sunday.

"The only thing I want to ask Mr. Gontard is why he appears in the emails of Raul Reyes as bearer of the 500,000 dollars," Santos said.



Read more: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/07/content_8502938.htm

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Possibly a tie-in to the underreported $20M-for-hostages story? N/T

[Monk06]

2. Brilliant. Bury the $20 million ransom story by accusing a swiss diplomat of collaboration.

The Colombians are not the brightest chimps
in the cage.

[AlphaCentauri]

6. Maybe somebody arrange the exchange and gave instructions to make the colombian president look good

[Proletariatprincess]

3. There is more to this story than we have heard yet.

When the story broke about the release of the hostages from the FARC. I thought something was really fishy about the coverage. It just didn't ring true to me. Of course, I didn't expect to see anything but propaganda from the US corporate media, but I cannot believe that it was a coincidence the McCain just happened to be there at the time. Then there was the story about the $20 million ransom....now this. I wonder if the real story will ever be known. I just feel certain that it is not what they say it was.

[Peace Patriot]

4. The U.S./Colombia can pull accusations out of their asses with the "miracle laptops,"

and have already done so with accusations against Hugo Chavez and Rafael Correa, the leftist presidents of Venezuela and Ecuador who believe in using their countries' oil profits to benefit the poor--a major crime in fascist/Bushite eyes--and both of whom were working closely with France and other countries to negotiate Ingrid Betancourt's and other hostages' release, and a peaceful settlement in Colombia's 40+ year civil war--until the U.S./Colombia blew the chief FARC hostage negotiator away in a midnight bombing raid into Ecuador's territory in March. Colombia then used the "miracle laptops" to accuse Chavez and Correa of being "terrorist lovers" (including an accustaion--for which there is no other evidence than the laptops--that Chavez gave FARC money--an accusation that hinges upon interpreting the number "300" and the word "dossier" as a $300,000 payment). The question to ask is, what has this Swiss diplomat done that is good for most people, for democracy, for open government, for peace, and against the interests of global corporate predators and war profiteers? One answer that springs to mind is that he was one who tipped off the media to the $20 million ransom (and thus to the phoniness of the Colombia military's hostage rescue), which originated with Swiss radio.

The Uribe government and the Bushites are congenital liars. So we can dismiss any accusations they make, on their face. But their accusations are interesting gages of what they themselves are doing (or are planning to do). They often use accusation campaigns in the corporate press (their echo chamber) as cover for their own crimes. (Uribe, for instance, is under investigation for participating in a death squad meeting, and for bribing legislators to extend his term of office, and some 50 of his political cohorts are under investigation--and some are in jail--for similar activities. Thus, the Bushite corporate media campaign against Chavez--who put his term limit to a vote of the people--accusing him of being a "dictator" and wanting to be "president for life. Lies about Chavez were used to suppress the truth about Uribe. Both Uribe and Bush are running truly murderous regimes, but somehow Chavez--who has harmed no one--gets painted as a "terrorist lover" and a "dictator.")

This accusation against the Swiss diplomat may simply be flak to cover up the disclosure about their $20 million ransom of Betancourt. It may be a method of punishing him for the leak. It may be a warning to others not to disclose nefarious Uribe or Bushite activities. (Swiss groups were involved in the Betancourt release, and may be involved in order peace efforts in Colombia--and thus may know things about Uribe/Bush and the murderous Colombian military, paramilitaries and their 'official' drug rings.)

[bemildred]

5. Yep. Bullshit all the way. nt

[EFerrari]

7. It is also a measure of how little interest Uribe has in building relations

that could help him free more hostages.