Noticias del conflicto de Colombia y sus vecinos ( En inglés )

-Extraido de la revista THE ECONOMIST (http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10853733 )

Colombia and its neighbours
Peace in our time, on the box
Mar 13th 2008 BOGOTÁ AND CARACASFrom The Economist print edition
But it may well prove to be as phoney as the war

A WEEK after it began, the diplomatic and military stand-off between Colombia and its neighbours ended in scenes reminiscent of a Latin-American soap opera. At a summit on March 7th in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, transmitted live throughout the region, Colombia's president, Álvaro Uribe, managed to restore diplomatic relations with Ecuador, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Relations had been severed after he ordered a bombing raid on a FARC guerrilla camp just inside Ecuador.

After reiterating his apology for violating Ecuadorian sovereignty, Mr Uribe went on to condemn the crimes being committed in Colombia by what he called “the sinister terrorists” of the FARC, whom his three neighbours view as closer to freedom fighters. Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's president, responded with a conciliatory speech, backing down from earlier talk of war. Mr Uribe took this as his cue to circle the conference room, shaking hands and slapping backs. Even a scowling Rafael Correa, Ecuador's president, agreed to declare an end to hostilities. And, in a remarkably harmonious exchange, Mr Uribe and Nicaragua's president, Daniel Ortega, seemed to resolve their bilateral differences in about 90 seconds flat.

Mr Chávez, who recently called for the FARC to be recognised as legitimate belligerents protected under the Geneva Conventions, described Mr Reyes's killing as a “cowardly murder”. But he failed to win support at home and elsewhere in the region for his decision to wade into what was an essentially bilateral incident. Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, for example, did not accept or return several phone calls from Mr Chávez during the stand-off. Venezuela and its allies have denied giving aid and comfort to the guerrillas, and Mr Chávez has claimed credit for “restoring peace to South America”. But the underlying conflict remains.

For Mr Uribe, the information reportedly found on the computers (to be examined by experts from Interpol) is a precious gift. He has agreed not to use it (as he had first threatened) to substantiate a case against Mr Chávez before the International Criminal Court. But many observers believe it was the strong hand this dealt him in Santo Domingo, rather than any real vocation for peace on the part of his neighbours, that brought about the climb-down.

Among the juicy titbits allegedly found on the computers are a $20,000 campaign contribution from the FARC to Rafael Correa; a putative deal between the rebels and Mr Chávez that would have netted them $300m and several hundred used rifles; and attempts by the FARC to obtain uranium for a “dirty bomb” and surface-to-air missiles to neutralise Colombia's helicopter fleet—a crucial weapon in the army's recent successes against the guerrillas. Mr Reyes is also said to have recorded his thoughts on how hostage releases, co-ordinated with Mr Chávez and a Colombian senator, would help them all politically.



-Extraido de BBC NEWS ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7280590.stm )

Colombia raid 'must be condemned'

The leaders of Ecuador and Venezuela have called for clear international condemnation of Colombia for its raid against rebels inside Ecuador.

This isn't going to cool down until the aggressor is condemned," said Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa.

In a bid to calm the crisis, the Organisation of American States (OAS) criticised Colombia but stopped short of outright condemnation.

Ecuador and Venezuela moved troops to their borders after Saturday's raid. Both countries also cut diplomatic ties with Bogota in response to the incursion, which resulted in the killing of a senior rebel commander, Raul Reyes, and 16 others. Colombia has apologised to Ecuador but said the raid was necessary.

It said that its forces found documents linking both Ecuador and Venezuela to guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) - an accusation both countries reject.
Speaking on Thursday in Brussels, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos said he saw no risk of war despite the military mobilisation. "The Colombian government has been very clear it won't use force," Mr Santos told Reuters news agency. "It won't fall into the game of provocation." Venezuela says it has sent some 9,000 soldiers to its border with Colombia, while Ecuador says 3,200 of its forces have been deployed to the frontier with its neighbour.