The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC has been funded by Hugo Chavez according to Colombian president Alvaro Uribe and he said that he"ll seek criminal charges in an international tribunal against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for his alleged support of guerrillas in the region. Of course Chavez is sending troops and tanks to the Colombian border to make sure everyone knows he"s the macho man of South America even though he"s not going to do anything but make a show.
Uribe went on to say, "I"ll present charges to the International Criminal Court against Hugo Chavez for financing and sponsoring genocide."" Colombia said it found evidence on the laptop of slain rebel leader Raul Reyes that showed Venezuela had funneled at least $300 million to the FARC. Maybe Chavez should have used that money to feed the poor, and maybe that would have helped him win his constitutional efforts.
The laptop was seized March 1 when Colombia"s military crossed into Ecuador to kill Reyes, the FARC"s second-in- command. After years of international support for its counter- insurgency, Colombia finds itself diplomatically isolated in Latin America for taking the fight a mile into Ecuadorean territory. But, human rights groups accuse the guerrillas of massacring civilians, using illegal land mines, and terrorist bombings.
The court, based in The Hague, tries individuals accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. Colombia and Venezuela signed the treaty that set up the court in 2002. General Oscar Naranjo, Colombia"s police chief, said the computer files also indicated Ecuadorean Security Minister Gustavo Larrea had been in contact with Reyes in a bid to get President Rafael Correa involved in the release of rebel-held hostages to boost his political standing.
Chavez wants to be seen as the leader of all of South America, if not Central America as wsell. And if there"s a prize for him it"s to do damage to George Bush"s legacy befoire he steps down. I think Bush has already done enough at this point without needing someone from outside to help.
If it gets nasty, it"s not only obvious that Colombia has the larger and better army, but also the abcking of teh United States. Colombia, with bigger and better-trained forces, has little to fear, at least militarily. This won"t come to warfare for a very simple reason that Chavez knows that he would be on the losing end and he can"t have that! Colombia"s military is the most battle-tested, best- equipped and mobile force in the region, the result of four decades of warfare against the FARC. It has 260,000 active troops, more than double the combined strength of Venezuela and Ecuador"s 115,000 fighters.
Further, Colombia has spent about $38.6 billion on its military in the past decade, according to Rangel"s Fundacion de Seguridad y Democracia research group. Since 2001, it has received $600 million in annual U.S. military aid and training. And just to make sure everyone knows where Bush stands, he telephoned Uribe to applaud his efforts against the rebels.
Your move Hugo! Maybe he can get his other half of the dynamic duo involved, at least for more support.