[El Espectador, Colombia]

La Republica, Uruguay

Has Colombia Become the

'Israel of South America?'

"Undoubtedly, Colombia's military adventure in Ecuador has served to open the eyes of those who have yet to understand the true significance of Plan Colombia. … The United States has failed to grasp this, but there are democratic forces in Colombia that should realize by now the role that has been assigned to their country."

EDITORIAL

Translated By Halszka Czarnocka

March 10, 2008

Uruguay - La Republica - Original Article (Spanish)

It is necessary to begin with a clarification, given the severity of the title. We are not here looking to call into question the right to exist of the state of Israel. We have another theme and hope everyone understands that.

The problem, the point to question, isn't the existence of an Israeli state, but the role that it plays in the Middle East. No one in their right mind can deny that Israel’s policy has been to defend the interests of the United States in the region. Putting aside the controversy this statement may provoke, could someone please enlighten us about the condemnations that Israel incurred from the United Nations due to its bellicose actions, illegal occupations (can anybody deny these?) and incursions into the territories of neighboring countries (doesn't unassailable and objective documentation exist about this?).

All this has been possible thanks to the support of the United States, which supplies Israel in a preferential manner with sophisticated weapons (different from those it sells to the Arab countries), as well as with subsidies and commercial and investment preferences.

This pattern can be applied to Colombia, which is the subject at hand. President Bush, who took the reigns of his country's government in a very shady manner (to put it generously), is a great promoter of Plan Colombia , a project that supports that country in its fight against drug trafficking and guerrillas.

In reality, it is a project that supports Colombia’s battle against the guerrillas, a popular movement that for 60 years has kept a sizeable portion of the country’s territory under its control.[about 40 percent today]. Drug traffic is just an excuse; in its time Cuba was accused of supporting itself with income from drug trafficking and later it was President Hugo Chavez’ turn.

[Editor's Note: The FARC, shorthand for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army, is a left-wing guerilla group that now controls about 40 percent of Colombian territory [see map on right]. Funded largely through drug-trafficking, the group is the central target of U.S. sponsored Plan Colombia, a package of military and non-military aid that has cost about $3 billion over the past five years ].

What's clear and proven are links that Colombia's constitutional president has maintained with the paramilitaries, a group of mercenaries who themselves sustained their activities with drug trafficking. But since the joint efforts of the regular army and the paramilitaries (who did the dirty work that the army dared not carry out) was unable to successfully cope with the guerrillas, the Empire decided to put its foot on the accelerator at a time when the Marxists were gaining ground.

Thus was Plan Colombia born - initially masquerading as an effort to fight drug trafficking and even seeking to export itself to other countries in the region. Nothing could be further from the truth. It rapidly militarized Colombia, beginning with a painstaking and very professional preparation of the Army. This was followed by a weapons-improvement phase which has now reached the point that precision smart bombs have been used in the recent massacre of [FARC Commander] Reyes and the guerrillas that were with him.

The operative mechanism is similar to what we have all witnessed in the Middle East. Whenever progress materialized on the road to peace; whenever there have been signs that fruitful negotiations could be initiated, another war is launched by the most provocative elements of the extreme right within Israel's military, which undermines and nullifies any progress.

In the case at hand, the President of Venezuela [Hugo Chavez] was gaining stature as a peacemaker and negotiator, keeping in check the entire U.S. strategy in the region.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

And so they took action.

The result was auspicious militarily - but not politically. [Colombian President] Uribe has been left completely alone, backed only by President Bush, the most bellicose, least beloved leader to Latin America and in the history of our countries.

Undoubtedly, Colombia's military adventure in Ecuador has served to open the eyes of those who have yet to understand the true significance of Plan Colombia. Now is the time to further strengthen [Latin] American unity based on the integration, collaboration, good relations and respect for the laws and sovereignty of each country.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

The United States has failed to grasp this, but there are democratic forces in Colombia that should realize by now the role that has been assigned to their country.

SEE ALSO:

Venezuela Analysis, Venezuela

Mobilizing His Troops,

Chavez Calls Colombia

'Israel of Latin America'

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/3222

Tal Cual, Venezuela

'North American Empire'

Seeks to 'Internationalize'

Conflict with Colombia …

http://worldmeets.us/talcual000003.shtml

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[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US March 10, 8:35pm]