Ingrid and Colombian officials dismiss Swiss media report as false and lies

tasco66 says on Jul 4, 2008, 11:49:

Buenos Aires/Bogota - Colombia on Friday denied European media allegations that a ransom was paid to secure the freedom of former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, three US contractors and 11 other hostages held for years by leftist rebels.

Vice President Francisco Santos told Argentine radio station America that 'it was a clean, most successful operation' and attributed reports of an alleged ransom of 20 million dollars to 'counter-information' from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has a strong presence in Switzerland.

The reports were made by French online news daily MediaPart and Swiss radio station Radio Suisse Romande (RSR), contradicting the account put forward by the Colombian government that its agents had infiltrated FARC and the 15 hostages through a clever ploy.

MediaPart reported that Bogota and Paris had promised political asylum for FARC members in France, and that Colombia and the US had paid 20 million dollars ransom.

A spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry also denied that Paris had paid a ransom to obtain the release of Betancourt, who also has French citizenship.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was clear, Santos stressed: 'No ransom has been paid or is going to be paid.'

He noted that Wednesday's rescue operation was 'immensely sophisticated.'

Colombia's Military Forces also chimed in with a denial. Commander Freddy Padilla described the allegations as a 'last-ditch effort' from the rebels.

'We have already received official information from the United States that they have not paid one single dollar. In the same way, France also rejected that version. I promise you, by my military honour, that in the Colombian case not a single cent has been paid,' General Padilla said.

In the face of reports that the United States was involved in the rescue operation, Padilla stressed that it was a fully Colombian effort.

Santos mentioned that 'several prominent exiled FARC leaders and some of their main supporters' live in Switzerland, and said he was not surprised that the reports had their origin there.

'Switzerland, where FARC have a stronghold, is obviously starting to generate, to issue this type of information to generate counter-information and a little bit to balance the immense political defeat that (FARC) have suffered,' he said.

Santos was himself kidnapped in 1990 by the organization led by the late drug lord Pablo Escobar.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/americas/news/article_1415088.p...

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jul 4, 2008, 11:53:

tasco i am very happy you has changed your avatar :)) the other one was putting me off my food jejeje

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tasco66 says on Jul 4, 2008, 11:58:

Kat I am happy too…now that Chavez appears to have given up on his interference in Colombia, there is no more reason for me to have it…

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jul 4, 2008, 11:59:

you can give it back to buggy, :)))

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tasco66 says on Jul 4, 2008, 12:08:

According to my “reliable Swedish media source" in addition to $20 million, the Farc soldiers were given a police escort. See the secret picture here:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/04/america/04rescue.php?page=3

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jul 4, 2008, 12:12:

Taco, it was perhaps "Swiss media source" that you meant.

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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sanandressi says on Jul 4, 2008, 12:13:

I would expect the FARC to attempt some type of bombing, like Club Nogal or Villavicencio, or another mass hostage taking, like what happened in Cali. I hope I am wrong. I would hope Monojojoy and Cano would fully disarm and try to do what Ortega has done in Nicaragua and what FMLN has done in El Salvador. However, there is DRUG money involved and M-19 made peace, willing to try the politcal process, only to be killed one by one by para's and who knows who else.

The snake is cornered and it will probably try to strike back. Stay tuned........

"This train will stop in Tucumcari"

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Sam Salmon says on Jul 4, 2008, 12:13:

Cesar ain't so triumphant anymore!

' a la orden!'

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tasco66 says on Jul 4, 2008, 12:14:

Desi, it's a joke! A Friday funny...

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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tasco66 says on Jul 4, 2008, 12:16:

“I would expect the FARC to attempt some type of bombing"

Why? They did nothing when Reyes was killed (which I would think was worse for them)…

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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SUERTE GRINGO says on Jul 4, 2008, 12:49:

"I don't think that anyone was acting. The situation was too intense." Betancourt

That's because they all took acting lessons. I guess she didn't get the memo.

There is something fishy about the whole operation. Why does everyone keep saying "it was like a movie" when interviewed? Maybe because that is something that was mentioned to those involved in the rescue during the rehearsal for the "staged rescue mission."

“If you're gonna eat your crackers in bed, you're gonna have to sleep with crumbs."

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juancegomez says on Jul 4, 2008, 13:09:

SUERTE_GRINGO: Even the guerrilla's "César" took those acting lessons, in the middle of the jungle?

That phrase ("like a movie") alone doesn't really bother me, either way. If it wasn't a set up, it's still valid.

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tasco66 says on Jul 4, 2008, 13:16:

"SUERTE_GRINGO: Even the guerrilla's "César" took those acting lessons, in the middle of the jungle?"

Yep, according to my very reliable Congolese source, they hired Woody Allen to show them how to look beaten up...

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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webmanco says on Jul 5, 2008, 08:10:

Good clarification Hans_Paisa.

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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juancegomez says on Jul 5, 2008, 09:27:

The first post already quoted what Ingrid said, the rest depends on who writes the headlines, which remains a double-edged sword around here.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Jul 5, 2008, 09:40:

This is classic FARC mierda.

Without a doubt the US and Colombia would have paid rewards to the informants and moles within the FARC who made this possible. And that number might even total $20 Million for an operation of this sophistication. Note that nobody is denying that. But NO WAY did the US or Colombia pay a ransom to the FARC itself.

Even for those here who will never believe anything the Colombian or US government says, ask yourselves, why would the FARC let go its only major bargaining chips for just $20 million dollars? They were worth far more than that to the FARC.

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tasco66 says on Jul 5, 2008, 12:08:

http://www.euronews.net/en/article/05/07/2008/colombia-and-betancourt-...

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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billyb says on Jul 5, 2008, 17:19:

France would have given them 50 million straight up, and that's just for Ingrid. There are no doubts that there were payoffs for this operation, but it was not for who the naysayers would have you believe.

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Sam Salmon says on Jul 5, 2008, 17:52:

deontology-The science related to duty or moral obligation.

' a la orden!'

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billyb says on Jul 5, 2008, 17:54:

Thanks sam i was thinking it had something to do with dentistry ;)

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tasco66 says on Jul 6, 2008, 08:03:

Sarkozy would have given the Farc ANYTHING they wanted to get her released…

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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