Colombia: Rebel memos raise questions
Colombia: Rebel memos raise questions
By FRANK BAJAK, Associated Press Writer
Mon Mar 3, 1:13 AM ET
BOGOTA, Colombia - Documents from a computer seized where Colombian commandos killed a senior rebel leader indicate Ecuador's president is deepening relations with Colombia's main guerrilla group, Colombia's police commander said Sunday.
The commander of Colombia's National Police,
Gen. Oscar Naranjo, reads copies of documents
seized by Colombian security forces during an
attack on a rebel camp in Ecuador during a press
conference at the presidential palace in Bogota,
Sunday, March 2, 2008. Naranjo said that the
documents, found in computers seized where
senior commander of the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia Raul Reyes was killed show
that the rebel group was in close contact and
deepening relations with Ecuador's president.
Reyes was killed by Colombian security forces
early Saturday in a raid just inside Ecuadorian territory.
(AP Photo/William Fernando Martinez)
The two documents, copies of which were obtained independently by The Associated Press, were apparently written by the slain rebel commander, Raul Reyes, in the past two months. They are addressed to the high command of his insurgency, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
An Ecuadorean government spokesman called the Colombian claims a lie.
Reyes, 59, was killed early Saturday in a raid at a rebel camp just inside Ecuadorean territory. He was the FARC's public voice and represented it before foreign governments, journalists and other emissaries.
The incursion prompted Eduador's leftist president, Rafael Correa, to order troops to the Colombian border and recall his ambassador from Bogota. Venezuela's leader, Hugo Chavez, announced he was dispatching tanks and thousands of troops to the Colombian border.
"These documents raise the question of what the relation of Ecuador's government is with a terrorist organization," Gen. Oscar Naranjo, the Colombian police commander, told a late-night news conference.
Naranjo said that the documents show without a doubt that Reyes "was developing an agenda with Ecuador." He said Colombia would demand an explanation of Correa for a relationship with the FARC that "in our opinion affects Colombia's national security."
A spokesman for Ecuador's internal security ministry, Edmundo Carrera, accused Naranjo of lying.
"They're trying to cover up what they've done," he told the AP.
One of the documents, a word-processing file dated Jan. 18, said Reyes had met with Ecuador's minister of internal security, Gustavo Larrea, and the two had discussed Correa's "interest in making official relations with the FARC."
It did not specify a date or location for the meeting.
The document says Correa is prepared to make changes in his military leadership, that he refuses to back Colombia in its condemnation of the FARC and that the Ecuadorean president wants to get involved in efforts to secure a prisoner swap between the FARC and the Colombian government. Chavez was leading that effort until Uribe tried to cut him off in November.
It says Ecuador's government considers Uribe "a danger to the region" and says Ecuador would like it if the FARC released one of its hostages — a soldier named Pablo Moncayo who the FARC has held for a decade. Correa would then "provide protection to one of ours" would presumably represents the FARC before Ecuador's government.
Photocopies of the documents were provided to the AP by a senior member of Colombia's security forces, on condition he not be further identified because of their sensitivity.
The official said three notebook computers were found during Saturday's raid and that they contained a wealth of documents that Colombian authorities were only beginning to examine. He said U.S. assistance would be sought in analyzing them.
The official said he did not know whether any of the information in the computers was encrypted.
The other document, dated Feb. 28, says a Correa emissary, in a recent meeting, would like a personal meeting with FARC leaders in Quito, guaranteeing transport and security for them.
The January document says Correa will cancel next year permission for U.S. surveillance planes to use a base at Manta, Ecuador, something he has already announced.
U.S. officials have said they are considering locating such a base in Colombia. The Manta lease runs out next year.
___
Associated Press writer Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this report
By sloopskipper on Mar 3, 2008, 03:40 in Politics & the war.
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tasco66 says on Mar 3, 2008, 04:34: Documentos revelan vínculos ECUADOR- FARC: Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation! 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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tasco66 says on Mar 3, 2008, 04:42: Now we know why Correa was so pissed off... Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation! 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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jorgegdiaz says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:09: Here it`s what they found in Reyes computer. If it is true...somebody is going down to chinatown ! "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."Robert Orben 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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jorgegdiaz says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:09: Pg 2: "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."Robert Orben 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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jorgegdiaz says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:10: pg 3: "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."Robert Orben 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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jorgegdiaz says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:10: pg 4: "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."Robert Orben 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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jorgegdiaz says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:11: Pg 5: "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."Robert Orben 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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tasco66 says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:25: When you see the outrage in Ecuador, it is clear they are trying to cover up something…Looks like we just found out what it is. Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation! 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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billyb says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:36: It just goes to show that colombia is sorrounded by rats.
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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billyb says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:42: That is a retarded question, did you get your talking points already bugsy? I'm sure all lefties got their marching orders to queston the condition of the documents to try to lessen the impact it has showing that correa was a rat and chevez' little lapdog all along.
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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jorgegdiaz says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:43: That crossed my mind too buggy. "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."Robert Orben 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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tasco66 says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:43: buggy you remind me of Cassini and his conspiracy theories that Uribe was lying when he said Emmanuel may not be in Farc hands… Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation! 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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rocinante says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:43: When the toner is low this is what results. Shake the toner cartridge and you get a more even printing. Someone may have snapped photos of these documents right on site and this is what is shown here. "World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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billyb says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:44: bugsy sounds like one of hillary's minions trying to smear obama. throw anything up there and see what sticks.
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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jorgegdiaz says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:45: oh wait, no? "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."Robert Orben 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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billyb says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:46: that march will be one big dud, mark my words.
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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tasco66 says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:51: Now you know why Cassini aka buggy will be marching on the 6th, to protest the killing of Farc members by the paracos… Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation! 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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jorgegdiaz says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:53: hey Buggy, "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."Robert Orben 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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billyb says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:55: jorge, there's no need to answer him, it's just a red herring they are putting out there. the rat correa has been exposed and the lefties have gotten their orders to try to muddie the watters.
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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rocinante says on Mar 3, 2008, 06:58: Buggy - It is a printed document recovered from a computer. The printer was low on toner. What's so difficult about that? Now that you are looking at it on your screen it is not obviously paper as your screen is not paper. "World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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rocinante says on Mar 3, 2008, 07:02: Why is it so hard to believe this was printed on a cheesy printer low on toner and then photographed/scanned? I have seen documents in this condition that are a day old printed by huge corporations on large expensive printers. "World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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billyb says on Mar 3, 2008, 07:07: Roci, it's not that hard to believe (for anybody mildly intelligent), that is unless you don't want to believe, or are just trying to sow doubt
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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tasco66 says on Mar 3, 2008, 07:07: Cassini why are you using multiple ids? Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation! 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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El Polo says on Mar 3, 2008, 07:08: some modefoque was too cheap to buy new toner
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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rocinante says on Mar 3, 2008, 07:11: This may have been printind on site at the camp with a crappy printer and then covertly photographed. We don't know the story of the document but discounting this document because it looks washed out is tenuous. "World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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tasco66 says on Mar 3, 2008, 07:12: Cassini aka buggy every time you have put in doubt the Colombian government statements you have been proven wrong... and this time it is no different Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation! 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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droble77 says on Mar 3, 2008, 07:51: LOL, I deal with these problems every day, it's part of my job, unfortunately. Yeah, it's just a worn toner cartridge, probably happens in Colombia even more than in rich companies in the states. . . ;)
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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kat1 (Moderator) says on Mar 3, 2008, 08:13: And as you can see the fade it parts are all on the same place, typical of a worn toner cartridge,
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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robi666 says on Mar 3, 2008, 08:26: Probably, El Tiempo was not allowed to have those documents. Who knows how they got them. That's why the condition. "I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present." 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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bamacellist says on Mar 3, 2008, 08:54: these are clearly scanned or otherwise photocopied from some other original documents, which could easily have been made, as stated from electronic originals. They all have exactly the same anomalous patterns which could be the result of bad scanning, printing or faxing or mishandling between the time they were made and the time they were released and subsequently rescanned and posted by El Tiempo. "The future is much like the present, only longer." 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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durito says on Mar 3, 2008, 08:57: How would the condition of such scans reflect their truthfulness or not?
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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Mononoke28 says on Mar 3, 2008, 09:42: It's obvious that the scan is a copy of the people who published it and not what the Colombian government has in their hands. Diana 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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orestesdd says on Mar 3, 2008, 10:54: I think what happened was that the original document was scanned into these computers and when you do that sometimes the copies are not perfect. Also if one tries to make copies of a copy, you get similar results. Then you get DIGITAL files in your computer (just copies of scanned copies), which show those symptoms.
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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juancegomez says on Mar 3, 2008, 11:55: Apparently those are scans of printed transcripts from the alleged e-mails, not the actual original information as far as I can tell, which would probably be in some e-mail inbox or file folder.
0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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