FARC Chief Denies Getting Missle Launchers from Venezuela
Yahoo0 News
BOGOTA – The top guerrilla leader in Colombia denied in comments published Thursday.
Alfonso Cano, commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, accused Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of "media terrorism for insinuating that Venezuela's government provided rocket launchers we captured a long time ago in a military battle on the border."
His comments were published by Colombian newsmagazine Cambio, which said Cano responded to questions via e-mail.
Sweden has confirmed that it sold the weapons to Venezuela in 1988. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denies his government gave them to the FARC and accuses Uribe of acting irresponsibly by suggesting Venezuela provides material support to the rebels.
Cano also denied that the FARC helped fund the 2006 election campaign of Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa — allegations that surfaced last month after The Associated Press revealed the existence of a video in which a senior rebel commander discussed funneling dollars to the campaign.
"Why would we contribute to somebody's electoral campaign, such as the current President Correa, whom we don't even know?" Cano wrote.
Latin America's last major rebel army, the FARC has been trying to overthrow successive Colombian governments for a half century. It has been put on the defensive in recent years by Colombia's U.S.-backed military and has lost support amid reports that it is funded by drug trafficking and as it continues to hold dozens of hostages in the jungle.
The FARC suffered a number of tough blows last year amid an aggressive offensive by the military, including the deaths of several top commanders and the military rescue of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other high-profile hostages.
But Cano — who took over as the FARC's No. 1 after his predecessor, Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, died in March 2008 — said any setbacks are part of doing battle and the FARC is not suffering from any divisions.
"We do not have serious internal problems. There is no crisis," Cano said.
Uribe reiterated that his government is determined to crush all illegal armed groups in Colombia and vowed that Cano and the rest of the FARC's leadership will end up in jail.
"That bandit ... has spent 40 years tricking Colombia," Uribe told journalists Thursday when asked about the Cambio interview. "The moment will come when all those bandits will be in prison. ... Our determination is complete, it never falters."
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