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US freezes Venezuelans' assets over Farc links

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Treasury announced Friday it was freezing any US assets of two senior Venezuelan officials and a former official after accusing them of aiding Colombian rebels involved in drug trafficking.

The move comes as the United States moved toward expelling Venezuela's ambassador in Washington after Venezuela ordered expelled the US ambassador in Caracas in solidarity with Bolivia's expulsion of the US envoy in La Paz.

The Treasury targetted Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios and Henry de Jesus Rangel Silva and former official Ramon Rodriguez Chacin for aiding "the narcotics trafficking activities of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)."

The three "armed, abetted, and funded the FARC, even as it terrorized and kidnapped innocents," according to a statement from Adam Szubin, who heads the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

"This is OFAC's sixth action in the last ten months against the FARC," the statement said.

"We will continue to target and isolate those individuals and entities that aid the FARC's deadly narco-terrorist activities in the Americas," it added.

"Today's action freezes any assets the designated entities and individuals may have under US jurisdiction and prohibits US persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions involving those assets," it said.

Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios is the director of Venezuela's Military Intelligence Directorate (DGIM), the Treasury said.

It accused him of helping the FARC by "protecting drug shipments from seizure by Venezuelan anti-narcotics authorities," arming the FARC and allowing them to "maintain their stronghold" in Arauca, a cocaine producing area on the Colombia-Venezuela border.

It alleged that Carvajal Barrios "also provides the FARC with official Venezuelan government identification documents" to facilitate the travel for FARC rebels to and from Venezuela.

Rangel Silva, who heads Venezuela's Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services or DISIP, "is in charge of intelligence and counter-intelligence activities for the Venezuelan government," it said.

Rangel Silva has "materially assisted the narcotics trafficking activities of the FARC. He has also pushed for greater cooperation between the Venezuelan government and the FARC," the statement alleged.

Rodriguez Chacin, who was Venezuela's Minister of Interior and Justice until September 8, is "the Venezuelan government's main weapons contact for the FARC," it charged.

"The FARC uses its proceeds from narcotics sales to purchase weapons from the Venezuelan government," it alleged as well.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jL7BR8a22FExBbXrIxFVoESnbkSg

By tasco66 on Sep 12, 2008, 08:40 in Politics & the war.

tasco66 says on Sep 12, 2008, 08:42:

No surprise here

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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el_scouser says on Sep 12, 2008, 09:16:

This is poorbuthappy Colombia - why do people on this site feel it necessary to denounce Chavez who is the president of VENEZUELA at any given opportunity???

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Sonny says on Sep 12, 2008, 10:06:

Because his shoe fits much better than any other.

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tasco66 says on Sep 12, 2008, 10:11:

This is about who is promoting the Farc in Colombia, it is in the right place

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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sloopskipper says on Sep 12, 2008, 11:06:

tasco66 says on Sep 12 (today): flag

"This is about who is promoting the Farc in Colombia, it is in the right place"

Exactly!

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jorgegdiaz (☼Travelguide writer) says on Sep 12, 2008, 11:11:

probably b/c VEN & COL share a pretty long border?
probably b/c VEN & COL have a huge commercial trade?
probably b/c the nutzo in VEN is trying to impose his ROBOlucion in COL?
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probably b/c that idiot that`s Chavez has Russian nuclear bombers sitting (unarmed...of course) 1000 miles form the border?
probably b/c we feel sorry for them having such a clown there as a President?
... and no Cassini, you may not come a quick remark as you do copying and chaging Chavez to Uribe

Democratic party or Republican party is fine......as long as theres a party!!!!!!!

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tasco66 says on Sep 12, 2008, 11:27:

Venezuela has become to the Farc what the Taliban is for Al Qaeda

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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august says on Sep 12, 2008, 17:54:

That'd be a much smoother statement if you compared two countries and two terrorist organizations. How about using Pakistan instead of Venezuela?

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pobrecito says on Sep 13, 2008, 01:34:

Can we believe in a country (USA) which is the worst terrorist state in the world?

Some months ago Mandela was a terrorist for them, but not the apartheid promotors in South Africa.

To be considered as terrorist by USA is not a proof of terrorism. It is only a proof that you do not agree with their destructive and egoist politic. It can be a prrof you are fighting for the freedom of people, not freedom of money holders.

De que vale la vida si cuando la tenemos parece muerta. La vida es para sentirla, para vibrar, para luchar, para combatir. Eso justifica nuestro paso por la tierra........Jaime Pardo Leal

1 funny, 1 helpful.

tasco66 says on Sep 13, 2008, 06:20:

August, you are right. Let me restate that:

Chavistas have become to the Farc what the Taliban is for Al Qaeda

Not being bound to swear to the dogmas of any master

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sanandressi says on Sep 13, 2008, 07:48:

Gee pobrecito, if the US is such a "terrorist state" Then why do so many immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, China, Russia, Ethiopia etc all want to come here?

Some school or hospital in California has to have translators in like 149 languages I heard the other day. I don't heaar of anybody looking to go to Cuba, Venezuela, Syria or Iran do you? Be my guest pobrecito!

Some arab gets on a bus in Israel and blows himself up to go to Allah and 100 virgins and somehow it is America's fault? LOL

A lot of people in the world are just jealous of what we have plain and simple.

"This train will stop in Tucumcari"

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pobrecito says on Sep 13, 2008, 09:10:

"Some arab gets on a bus in Israel and blows himself up to go to Allah and 100 virgins and somehow it is America's fault? LOL"

Yes because USA support the politics of Israel which pushes Palestinians to despair.

De que vale la vida si cuando la tenemos parece muerta. La vida es para sentirla, para vibrar, para luchar, para combatir. Eso justifica nuestro paso por la tierra........Jaime Pardo Leal

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pobrecito says on Sep 13, 2008, 09:13:

"Gee pobrecito, if the US is such a "terrorist state" Then why do so many immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, China, Russia, Ethiopia etc all want to come here?"

Because there is money (and sometimes jobs) in USA not because USA are a democratic society (can you tell us about the wall between USA and Mexico?).

"A lot of people in the world are just jealous of what we have plain and simple."
You speak like a child (he is jealous, he is jealous, he is ...)

De que vale la vida si cuando la tenemos parece muerta. La vida es para sentirla, para vibrar, para luchar, para combatir. Eso justifica nuestro paso por la tierra........Jaime Pardo Leal

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tomtom33 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Sep 13, 2008, 09:53:

OMG, we can be havin' any Palestinians in despair now, can we?

So the Palestinians are on the side of right, and the Israelis are on the side of wrong? Or is that anyone who the US helps is wrong, and anyone who doesn't like anyone that the US helps is right? Maybe it's just that whatever the US does is always wrong.

Please enlighten me Pobre.

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august says on Sep 13, 2008, 13:35:

Palestinians aren't necessarily on the side of right, it's pretty difficult to defend any acts of violence. But the Israelis arguably started the conflict by insisting on moving back to Israel in a colonizing fashion. I mean their taking of land after the '67 (it was '67, I believe?) war is pretty difficult to defend as being just, it was pretty much right out of the US Manifest Destiny playbook.

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tomtom33 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Sep 13, 2008, 15:05:

The Israelis were attacked by the Arabs in the 6-day war. They fought back to keep from being annihilated. They kept some of the land they took in winning that war as a buffer to protect themselves.

The Golan heights is an example of that buffer. The Syrians used the Golan heights to launch missiles into Israel. With Israel occupying the Golan heights, the missiles cannot be launched from there.

I certainly don't believe that any one side is 100% right in anything. But you have to look at the establishment of Israel in the context of the times. And I grant that the now-Israelis behaved like terrorists in the establishment of Israel. They bombed the King David Hotel in 1947 or 1948 among other things.

In the argument about whose land is it, the Israelis were there long before there were any Palestinians. Before WW II, the Palestinians were kicked around pretty good by their Arab cousins. After Israel was carved out of Palestine, the Palestinians became the problem of the Israelis.

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tomtom33 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Sep 13, 2008, 15:28:

Of course some say that US aid for Israel is only about oil. I respectfully disagree.

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quantum says on Sep 13, 2008, 16:11:

Jeez, could u guys pick any more complex of a subject than this one. As long as were in it, just keep in mind that there is no place in what is now Israel where there was not a Palestinian settlement before 1948. And also very importantly, the majority of todays Jewry in Israel are not of Semitic origin, but of European and Russian origin. I think only about 5% are truly semetic and guess what? Theyre at the bottom of the pecking order in Israel. They got the clean up jobs. That being said there are legions of great Israelis doing wonderful things and striving for a more balanced equation. But unfortunately, the Zionists run the show and call the shots and they are a completely different breed. Wouldnt trust him outta my sight. Why do you think world opinion has shifted so dramatically against Israel in recent times?

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jorgegdiaz (☼Travelguide writer) says on Sep 13, 2008, 17:57:

I really can`t figure out cassini`s (Probrecito nowadays) mind. The only thing I venture to say (from all the non-sense garbage he blurts) is that he was a neglected child...He is looking for attention babdly

Democratic party or Republican party is fine......as long as theres a party!!!!!!!

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Robert Jorge says on Sep 14, 2008, 09:50:

Also, the fact is the "Palestinians" were given the right, and opportunities, to become Israeli citizens. Many did when the State of Israel was formed after WWII. But, many declined, thinking they would be taken in by a friendly Islamic invader like Syria, Egypt, whomever - in the future. Well, they were, and now are, F***ed. Not only has Israel not been successfully invaded and conquered, the "friendly" Muslim countries surrounding Israel have NOT taken in the refugees, allowed them to become citizens, etc. The "Palestinians" who do not enjoy Israeli citizenship actually have been screwed over by their brothers in the surrounding countries.

To argue over who Israel belongs too is futile. One could argue that Italy has a claim to Israel, because it was part of the Roman Empire 2000 years ago. The place has changed hands more than a few times.

He who farts in church, sits in his own pew.

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vladimiro says on Sep 20, 2008, 23:04:

However, those few Palestinians that stayed and are citizens of Israel have been having 5-6 kids while the imported Jewish colonizers are not having virtually any kids at all.

Check the demographics. Within 20 yrs Israel will be a majority Muslim country even excluding all those Palestinians that were ethnically cleansed in the past.

The Israeli muslims' demographic strength will eventually be converted to political power.

Just as the west's colonial experiment in Lebanon of creating a Christian Arab country failed after a few decades of high Shia muslim birth rates, in the long term, I don't think a Jewish State can stand the test of time in Arabia.

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pobrecito says on Sep 21, 2008, 00:50:

"The only thing I venture to say (from all the non-sense garbage he blurts) is that he was a neglected child.."

And you are probably a neglected adult. I hope that I never find your writings in my garbage because my garbage is cleaner than your brain.

De que vale la vida si cuando la tenemos parece muerta. La vida es para sentirla, para vibrar, para luchar, para combatir. Eso justifica nuestro paso por la tierra........Jaime Pardo Leal

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