Vote

Colombian ex president eulogizes Chávez's petition to FARC

César Gaviria, Colombian former president and ex secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS), welcomed on Thursday a request made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) to release hostages and pull out from the guerrilla warfare.

"I think it is good news for Colombia that President Chávez says so, because he has authority over FARC," said Gaviria in an interview with Caracol Radio, quoted by Efe.

Last Sunday, the Venezuelan ruler urged the FARC to release the people kidnapped by them "in exchange for nothing."

Gaviria feels that Chávez's shift of attitude, who earlier this year strongly recommended the international community to recognize the rebel group as a "legitimate belligerent force," could have been as result of the finding of the laptops property of the FARC second-in-command Raúl Reyes, which suggest links between the Venezuelan government and the FARC.

"Probably (Chávez) is worried about the large amount of grounds appearing in those computers," he speculated.

Quick Access to:

On the Cover

IISS: The FARC financed Chávez before 1999

10:07 AM. DIPLOMACY. Admired by the Colombian guerrilla after his coup attempt in 1992, the then lieutenant colonel Hugo Chávez Frías received financial support by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) for his projects after his capture that year. This mostly explains the relationship and "debt" between the parties, as revealed by a paper of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) of the United Kingdom.