Experts say Uribe threat to take Chavez to international court is likely grandstanding

[Judi Lynn]

Source: International Herald Tribune/Associated Press

Experts say Uribe threat to take Chavez to international court is likely grandstanding
The Associated Press
Published: March 7, 2008

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's attempts to haul his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez before the International Criminal Court for sponsoring leftist rebels is more likely political grandstanding than a credible legal strategy, experts said Friday.

And the tactic could backfire, some say, if international prosecutors look closely at crimes committed by all sides in Colombia's decades-long insurgency — including right-wing militias some critics say have links to politicians loyal to Uribe.

If that happens, "it would have been a very clumsy move by Uribe," said Jean d'Aspremont, an assistant professor of public international law at Leiden University in the Netherlands.
(snip)

It would be difficult for investigators to establish a link between Chavez and FARC because he is "structurally remote" from the rebels, Breuker said.
(snip)

Pena said the ICC's prosecutor, Argentinian Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is already analyzing evidence her group and other rights organizations have sent him about Colombia — that likely includes crimes committed by FARC and the militias.

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/07/europe/EU-GEN-International-Court-Chavez.php

[MaryCeleste]

1. At times it seems like 90% of the what comes out of that region is grandstanding and playing to the

M$M. Uribe, Chavez...

[dipsydoodle]

3. Well - at least news comes out these days

unlike the old days of gross interference by the USA in Latin America.

[Peace Patriot]

2. Nope, I don't think Uribe wants this in the World Court...

:wow:

[Tempest]

4. Uribe wouldn't only look like a fool, but he would be brought up on charges

The "evidence" of Chavez's support of FARC is non-existent (according to a thread on DU, the information on laptop captured doesn't say what Columbia says it does) and the Uribe government's direct involvement with the death squads and drug trafficking would be revealed.

[Judi Lynn]

5. They pulled that ridiculous charge right from their lower aperture.

As Ecuador's Ambassador to the U.S., Luis Gallego said, in an interview this morning on C-Span's American Journal I heard about in one of sfexpat2000's posts, the video available to see at C-Span.org , he saw videos of the site which was bombed, and he wanted to know the brand of laptops they had in there which still had that information after having been blown to kingdom come, as they had to have been built to last, and he wanted to get one for himself. :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: Good one, sir!

[Tempest]

6. I missed that

Thanks for sharing it. There's a rightwinger I want to send it to.