Reply #1: Well, that's gonna put the CIA (and the Obama team) in a tricky position,

[Peace Patriot]

since I think they arranged Hurtado's flight to the U.S. client state of Panama and her getting instant asylum there. Panama's rightwing president took a lot of heat for this from respecters of the law including (but not limited to) Colombia's prosecutors. He had to have been sorely pressured to do it. And who has that kind of clout in Panama?

There is a news photo of Uribe dropping in a for a little chat with Martinelli. That must have been a short meeting. It doesn't take long to tell somebody what their life is worth if they cross you. But I don't think that's all there was to it.

Uribe, for all his death squad connections, is out of power. And the CIA and the U.S. are very much in power, in Panama. They are the ones who got this done, I'm pretty sure--in their on-going efforts to protect Uribe from prosecution. This is only one action of many by Obama/Clinton/Panetta to keep Uribe from being deposed, interrogated, investigated and/or prosecuted. And I'm also pretty sure of their motive--Uribe is the connector to Bush Junta crimes in Colombia that they are covering up.

Latin Americans are particularly touchy about their sovereignty and their legal systems being sneered at. They really don't like to offend each other, on this matter. I learned this when the U.S./Colombia dropped 500 lb U.S. "smart bombs" on Ecuador's border, slaughtering 25 sleeping people in a FARC guerrilla camp, including an Ecuadoran citizen. ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE. The rest of Latin America came down like a ton of bricks on Colombia, and extracted a full apology and a promise NEVER TO DO THAT AGAIN, from Uribe. it was a sight to see! (I watched the Rio Group proceedings on it).

The bombing was NOT a "hot pursuit' situation. Uribe lied to Ecuador's president about that and commenced the bombing and raid over the border without the president of Ecuador's permission. This lawless act nearly started a war between Colombia/the U.S. and Ecuador/Venezuela. The violation of international law, of diplomatic protocol and of the rights of an Ecuador citizen--who was summarily executed without trial--were paramount in the discussion.

The background is that it was the camp of the FARC's chief hostage and peace negotiator, who was trying to end Colombia's 70 year civil war--and numerous parties were involved in those negotiations, including the president of France, envoys of the French, Spanish and Swiss governments, hostages' families, the presidents of Argentina and Venezuela, and others. But the focus of the condemnation of Colombia was LEGAL--their lack of respect for Ecuador's sovereign rights.

Very, very touchy matter--and a long history of U.S. "divide and conquer" tactics on this matter, as well as an intense struggle by Latin America to establish the rule of law within and between Latin American countries, and visa vis the U.S.--so that even a rightwing president of U.S. client state has to be careful.

I will also never forget hearing the rightwing president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon--whom the Bush Junta helped to install--publicly lecturing Bush Jr. on the sovereignty of Latin American countries (and using Venezuela as an example). Calderon had a great need to at least appear to be supporting Latin American sovereignty.

Ergo: It must have taken a lot of get Martinelli to spit on Colombia's courts and prosecutors by giving instant asylum to Hurtado--even for his pal Uribe.

So, what is the U.S. going to do about this warrant against Hurtado? What will Panama do? Will Colombia issue an extradition request? And what will the U.S./Panama do in response? The U.S. may spit on Venezuela's and Cuba's extradition requests. Will they do that to Colombia?

There may be quite a lot at stake as to their cover up of Bush Junta crimes in Colombia.