Chavez says US troops in Colombia worry Venezuela

[Judi Lynn]

Chavez says US troops in Colombia worry Venezuela
04 May 2005 21:39:58 GMT

Source: Reuters

CARACAS, Venezuela, May 4 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday criticized as "worrying" the presence of U.S. troops in Colombia in his latest swipe against U.S. foreign policy.

The Venezuelan leader, a fierce opponent of U.S. President George W. Bush, made his comments as he read a news report on state television about two U.S. soldiers arrested in Colombia for suspected arms smuggling.

U.S. military personnel are in Colombia as part of the Bush administration's support for the Andean country's fight against drug-traffickers and Marxist rebels waging a 40-year war.

"That is a problem for us. ... It's a motive for us to worry, that the U.S. military is in Colombia," Chavez said.
(snip/...)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N04473152.htm

[FlemingsGhost]

1. I wonder if Chavez can talk the UN into a preemptive strike.

He is telling the truth, after all.

That's more than we could muster ...

[NEOBuckeye]

5. He should keep talking

If there's one thing the Bush-Cheney regime hates more, it's an open, frank voice on the global scene. Chavez needs to keep voicing his thoughts and concerns to the world, and bring to everyone's attention what the Bushies are up to.

[The Doctor.]

2. Meh.

What is the extent of US military in Columbia?
Are they on the borders?
What is the tactical disposition?

Sorry, but alarmism is everywhere.

Chavez is fairly impressive. We shall see...

[Judi Lynn]

6. You'll have a lot of reading ahead, perhaps, to get an image

of what has been going on in Colombia for years.

Here's a LTTE which contains a lot of info. in a small space, and God only knows how long you'll be reading if you start researching the subject:

.....Now, without much fanfare, the United States has committed itself to a potentially serious military engagement, once again without any declaration of war. Congress recently approved $1.3 billion in military aid to Colombia, ostensibly to help that country fight their -- and our -- drug war. The bill provides 500 military pilots or advisers, 300 civilian contractors, and military helicopters to help the Colombian government vanquish the growth of coca leaves and end the country's exportation of narcotics.

Fearful of supporting human rights violations in Colombia, Congress initially included a clause that required Colombia to prosecute military and paramilitary leaders accused of gross human rights violation in civilian, rather than military courts. Worried about sending the country into a Vietnam- like military quagmire, Congress also capped the number of American military personnel at 300. Yet in the final days and hours of negotiation, political leaders created a ``national security'' exception to the human rights condition and effectively nullified it. In addition, Congress lifted the cap on military personnel and gave the president exceptional powers to send as many Americans as are needed ``in the event that the armed forces of the United States are involved in hostilities,'' endangered by combat, or if the president decides a military intervention is necessary ``for any search or rescue operation.' In effect, Congress gave free rein to the president to order direct engagement any time U.S. personnel is in danger.
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/07/10/ED86081.DTL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On edit: Adding commonly known information, for illumination: (Do you remember Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone's trip to Colombia, and the discovery of a bomb planted on the road where his car was expected to travel? Do You remember Senator Paul Wellstone's "accidental" drenching in a dangerous chemical by a drug crop spraying airplane when he was at a site with Colombian authorities?)

Colombia is caught in a complex web of violence resulting in the most severe humanitarian crisis in the hemisphere. Colombia's insurgency is rooted in decades of extreme inequality and political exclusion. All parties to the conflict have become more violent and intransigent over time. Political violence forces more than 300,000 people to flee their homes each year.

Two leftist guerrilla groups, the FARC and the ELN, are responsible for kidnappings for profit, killings of civilians by assassination, and indiscriminate use of weapons such as gas cylinder bombs. Right-wing paramilitary groups are responsible for massive human rights violations in Colombia, including massacres and assassinations. Rural community leaders and trade unionists are especially at risk.

The U.S. has provided massive amounts of military and security assistance to Colombia and the Andean region in an effort to reduce the supply of illegal drugs that arrive in the U.S. Between 1999 and 2002, the United States gave Colombia $2.04 billion, of which 83% has gone to Colombia's military and police. However, this has made little, if any, impact on the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. Meanwhile, the failed policy has serious human cost to Colombians who suffer under these policies.

Human rights observers have documented strong links between the Colombia military and security forces and the right-wing paramilitary groups. Trained Colombian military personnel are actively recruited by the paramilitaries, and military and security forces have often looked the other way, allowing paramilitary groups to commit atrocities with impunity. The U.S.-sponsored cocaine fumigation campaign has left people ill, food and alternative cash crops wilted, drinking water supplies contaminated, and aquatic life destroyed. Millions have been driven from their homes by the violence, fumigation campaign, and resulting poverty.
(snip/...)

http://www.campusaction.net/news/working_for_peace/Other%20War%20Regions/plan_colombia.htm

[The Doctor.]

7. Thank you. Much information you have provided...

I have no idea whether I will research this or not, but I do have a few questions.

Oh what a shame one man cannot download, extrapolate, correlate, and integrate any data in the blink of an eye... yet.

My initial impression is that Columbia is a very nice training ground.

[Lerkfish]

3. I agree with him.

it doesn't bode well.

[Frederik]

4. As well it should

[bennywhale]

8. Coup detat

I'm not surprised he's fuckin worried, the week after he threatened to stop exporting oil to the US two years ago there was an attempted coup by assasination.

The assailants were described as caucasian with American accents by Chavez' security men.

[Robbien]

9. Chavez believes the recent problems with oil production is due to sabotage

and according to this article
http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=5601

has sent troops over to the western plant to protect the plant's equipment.

Venezuelan troops with air and fluvial support plus elite intelligence units have been rushed to the oil-rich western region where sabotage actions have forced a considerable drop in production, announced Wednesday president Hugo Chavez.

Venezuelan Defence Minister General Jorge Garcia revealed that last mid April security forces activated the “Black gold 25” plan because “the situation in the west has become somehow tricky: materials, equipments have been lost or stolen to sabotage and we’re facing a “silent” strike from some oil workers. We’ve dispatched helicopters, motorboats, vehicles and troops to protect the oil fields and detect saboteurs”.

President Hugo Chavez claimed that the country’s giant oil company PDVSA, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. in the Maracaibo Lake region was pumping 100,000 barrels a day below the specified volume of approximately 1,2 million barrels per day.


Yes, I would agree. US troops in Columbia is a concern. A very big concern.