'WHAT ABOUT THE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT?'

[El Espectador, Colombia]

WATCH Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony, Jan. 13

 

 

Semana, Colombia

Is Bush Honoring Uribe for Peace or for War?

 

"It's no wonder that the decoration comes from the worst president of the United States, nor is it surprising that this is being done by the worst warmonger of a president for his most bellicose peer, with whom he also shares the goal of enhancing the economic interests of his own family - at the expense of peace."

 

By Manuel Velandia

                                    

 

Translated By Halszka Czarnocka

 

January 9, 2008

 

Colombia - Semana - Original Article (Spanish)

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush, Jan. 13. Some Colombians consider it a dubious honor, ad in any case, do not believe Uribe deserves such an award.   WATCH Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony, Jan. 13

"God creates them and they find one another," goes the popular saying. This will be confirmed when Colombian President Álvaro Uribe is awarded the United States Medal of Freedom, based on information provided by White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

 

In Washington on January 13th, Uribe will receive the decoration from the hands of President George W. Bush. With the medal, "The President is honoring these leaders for their work to improve the lives of their citizens and for their efforts to promote democracy, human rights and peace abroad," explained Perino.

 

It's no wonder that the decoration comes from the worst president of the United States, according to international analysts, and from a man who took refuge in war to distract attention from his government, which will be remembered for sinking that country with a major economic disaster; nor is it surprising that this is being done by the worst warmonger of a president to his most bellicose peer, with whom he also shares the goal of enhancing the economic interests of his own family - at the expense of peace.

 

Well, Uribe's government did make some contributions toward peace; there is no denying that his efforts have improved the lives of his fellow citizens. Thanks to his policy of democratic security and his already famous false positives, many Colombians have passed on to a "better life" [In other words - they are dead. The scandal of "false positives" refers to the extrajudicial killing by the Colombian Army of civilians who are subsequently presented as guerrilla casualties to inflate the combat “body count.”] … Equally prominent are his "efforts to promote democracy," for which he has used his political experience in proper Machiavellian fashion: He orchestrated his own fraudulent re-election and soon, by plotting and scheming so characteristic of his "political sensibilities," we'll have a referendum and a new election. [The referendum will be on changing the Constitution to allow Uribe to run for a third term].

 

'TONY BLAIR ACCEPTS HIS MEDAL OF FREEDOM'

[Guardian Unlimited, U.K.]

WATCH Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony, Jan. 13

 

Uribe has also promoted human rights and peace. If it weren't for so many human rights abuses, we in Colombia wouldn't have made such conscientious progress in creating a discourse about them; nor would we have achieved this without the resurgence of the domestic war, which according to the government, is no longer a occurring.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

Now all we need is for Uribe to grant a similar decoration to Bush for, "avoiding the use of nuclear weapons on the part of Iraq."

 

URIBE'S LIES COMPLICATE RETURN OF KIDNAPPED

 

The deceits of Uribe are having their results. According to the FARC, the presence of the International Committee of the Red Cross "is a good guarantee, but insufficient, when we take into account the manipulation and abuse that this government has undertaken in its name and under its protection with the intent to deceive."    

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

[Editor's Note: This is in part a reference to the Colombian government rescue last year of 14 kidnap victims, which included eleven Colombian police and four high-profile hostages - three Americans and former Colombian presidential candidate Íngrid Betancourt. The rescuers pretended to be with the International Committee of the Red Cross ].

 

According to the site Web Anncol, FARC's news service, it follows that there's a need for the presence of some other Colombian representative of the "Movement for Peace" - beyond Senator Córdoba Ruiz  - "with whom we have already agreed to participate, and some democratic figure from a brother country or the international community that would also serve as a guarantor.".

 

In the meantime, families of the hostages and the military who are to be exchanged continue to suffer the emotional and physical effects of their kidnapping. In any case, it remains clear that this president doesn't care. 

 

CLICK HERE FOR SPANISH VERSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US January 15, 1:25am]