Showdown Among S. American Leaders Looms
By ANDREW O. SELSKY – 1 hour ago
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A showdown loomed Friday for the presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela in this seaside capital as a summit of Latin American leaders aimed to calm a crisis triggered by a deadly Colombian cross-border raid.
The presidents of Venezuela and Ecuador kept the pressure on Colombia as they arrived in the Dominican capital late Thursday. The Rio Group summit was to have focused on energy and other issues, but the diplomatic crisis in the Andes now has center stage.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa told reporters he wants Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to apologize for Saturday's military attack against leftist Colombian rebels in Ecuadorean territory, as well as his "formal and firm commitment" that Colombia will never "violate" the sovereignty of another country.
On his arrival in Santo Domingo, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made jibes at Colombia and the United States, which has supported the Andean nation with more than $4 billion in counterinsurgency and anti-drug aid since 2000.
"The U.S. empire has taken over Colombia," Chavez said.
Chavez claimed the strike that killed Raul Reyes, a top leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was "planned and directed" by the U.S. Later, he said he had information that "gringo soldiers" participated in the attack, but provided no evidence to back the claim.
Earlier this week, a spokesman for the U.S. Southern Command, Jose Ruiz, would neither confirm nor deny that the U.S. military took part in the attack that killed Reyes and 23 other guerrillas.
Chavez has ordered thousands of troops and tanks to Venezuela's border with Colombia and threatened to slash trade and nationalize Colombian-owned businesses. Ecuador has also sent troops to the border.
Uribe, who is hugely popular among Colombians for efforts to crack down on the FARC, which finances itself through kidnapping and drug trafficking, declined to comment on the crisis as he arrived for a meeting with Dominican President Leonel Fernandez.
Earlier, Uribe defended the attack as necessary given Ecuador's inaction against Colombian rebel camps in its territory. Colombia complains that rebels take refuge across the border in neighboring countries and has accused their leftist leaders of backing the rebels — a claim the leaders deny. Uribe has said he won't send Colombia troops to the border.
Friday's opening of the presidential summit will mark the first face-to-face encounters between Uribe, Chavez and Correa since the international crisis began.
The crisis widened Thursday when Nicaragua broke off relations with Colombia over the attack inside Ecuador. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who was also expected to attend the summit, is an ally of Chavez and Correa.
Before the presidents began arriving here Thursday night, foreign ministers from a host of countries drafted a statement saying national sovereignty must be respected. The draft, to be submitted to the Latin American presidents on Friday, mirrors one this week from the Organization of American States, said Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley.
But Salvadoran President Tony Saca said as he arrived for the summit Thursday that the Colombian government should be able to defend its citizens.
"We need to understand Colombia has the legitimate right to go after terrorists .... wherever they may be, of course without harming the sovereignty of another country," Saca told reporters.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said he hopes that "we can have a dialogue in a sensible way to find a peaceful solution" at the summit. Calderon added that he doubted one would be found quickly.
Uribe has refused to rule out future military incursions into Ecuador or Venezuela, saying he first needs assurances from Correa and Chavez that they are not harboring rebels.
In Ecuador, Security Minister Gustavo Larrea said the army captured five suspected FARC rebels on Thursday. The suspects were nabbed "a few meters from the Colombian border," in the general area where the raid took place, Larrea told a news conference.
Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo and Jonathan M. Katz in Santo Domingo; Frank Bajak in Bogota, Colombia; and Ian James in Caracas, Venezuela contributed to this report.
Andean Crisis: Computer files tie Chávez to FARC
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Re: Andean Crisis: Colombia Worried Rebels Seek Uranium
Posted on Fri, Mar. 07, 2008
Experts: Incursion was illegal
BY PABLO BACHELET
When a rebel base in Ecuador was bombed with devastating effect last weekend, Colombia joined countries like Israel, Turkey and the United States that claim self-defense as they hit terrorist targets beyond their national borders.
Many Colombian and U.S. officials say the Colombians did nothing wrong when they carried out the first cross-border armed incursion in Latin America since the Peru-Ecuador border conflict in 1995.
But Ecuador and Venezuela have claimed the strikes were illegal -- and many experts agree.
''Almost regardless of the provocation, Colombia cannot justify a military and physical violation of Ecuador's territorial integrity, so long as the government of Ecuador is not directly engaged in an aggressive action against the government of Colombia,'' said Mark Schneider, with the International Crisis Group, a London-based organization that tracks international trouble spots.
``Even then, they should respond with diplomatic tools, not military force.''
CONFLICT ZONE
As an Organization of American States mission heads to the conflict zone next week to investigate the bombing, the case underscores the thorny legal complexities involved when governments seek to balance national sovereignty issues with the right of nations to defend from terrorist attacks.
A top Colombian leader of the FARC guerrilla group and at least 16 gunmen died in the March 1 bombing that represented a severe blow to Latin America's most enduring insurgency.
Colombia followed up its bombing with a military raid into Ecuador to gather evidence, something even the Colombians admit violated Ecuador's territorial sovereignty. But it maintains that its initial airstrike was justified and that Venezuela and Ecuador should be held accountable for harboring terrorists.
Colombian officials argue they were fired upon from the Ecuadorean side of the border, meaning their action was in self-defense. The Ecuadoreans deny this, noting most of the dead guerrillas were in their pajamas. They also say the Colombian aircraft fired from within Ecuadorean airspace.
Colombia's ambassador to the OAS, Camilo Ospina, shows evidence that the Colombians had been privately telling the Ecuadoreans of the FARC bases since January 2006. The Colombians, he said, did not go public with these complaints ``because if you tell a criminal you're going to pick him up, he runs away.''
Colombia also says Ecuador and Venezuela are violating post-September 11 United Nations and OAS agreements binding nations to deny safe haven to terrorists.
Evidence gathered from computers seized in the raids suggest that Ecuador not only knew of the FARC camps but was negotiating deals with a group declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
The Colombians say there is evidence Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was providing the FARC with $300 million.
The case has some loose parallels with recent strikes by other nations.
Most agree that the U.S. actions in Afghanistan, for example, complied with international laws, while the Iraq invasion did not.
COMPARISONS
The Colombian case most resembles the Turkish incursions into northern Iraq to clear Kurdish rebels, says Schneider, adding that the Turkish attack is also wrong.
Colombia, he said, should have taken its case to the OAS, the U.N. Security Council, and even the Hague-based International Court of Justice, which determines whether nations are violating international treaties.
''Frankly, I think unfortunately Ecuador has a stronger argument,'' said Frank Mora, a professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College.
Some experts say countries can legally attack foreign terrorists or guerrillas outside their borders and without the consent of the host nation within very narrowly defined contexts, like when there is a situation of hot pursuit or self-defense, something Colombia can still attempt to convince the OAS mission of.
But even the Colombians have set aside the armed option.
Ospina said Colombia would use ''diplomatic action.'' If a country is shown to back terrorists, they would ''use the judicial option'' -- meaning the Hague-based International Criminal Court.
© 2008 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com
Experts: Incursion was illegal
BY PABLO BACHELET
When a rebel base in Ecuador was bombed with devastating effect last weekend, Colombia joined countries like Israel, Turkey and the United States that claim self-defense as they hit terrorist targets beyond their national borders.
Many Colombian and U.S. officials say the Colombians did nothing wrong when they carried out the first cross-border armed incursion in Latin America since the Peru-Ecuador border conflict in 1995.
But Ecuador and Venezuela have claimed the strikes were illegal -- and many experts agree.
''Almost regardless of the provocation, Colombia cannot justify a military and physical violation of Ecuador's territorial integrity, so long as the government of Ecuador is not directly engaged in an aggressive action against the government of Colombia,'' said Mark Schneider, with the International Crisis Group, a London-based organization that tracks international trouble spots.
``Even then, they should respond with diplomatic tools, not military force.''
CONFLICT ZONE
As an Organization of American States mission heads to the conflict zone next week to investigate the bombing, the case underscores the thorny legal complexities involved when governments seek to balance national sovereignty issues with the right of nations to defend from terrorist attacks.
A top Colombian leader of the FARC guerrilla group and at least 16 gunmen died in the March 1 bombing that represented a severe blow to Latin America's most enduring insurgency.
Colombia followed up its bombing with a military raid into Ecuador to gather evidence, something even the Colombians admit violated Ecuador's territorial sovereignty. But it maintains that its initial airstrike was justified and that Venezuela and Ecuador should be held accountable for harboring terrorists.
Colombian officials argue they were fired upon from the Ecuadorean side of the border, meaning their action was in self-defense. The Ecuadoreans deny this, noting most of the dead guerrillas were in their pajamas. They also say the Colombian aircraft fired from within Ecuadorean airspace.
Colombia's ambassador to the OAS, Camilo Ospina, shows evidence that the Colombians had been privately telling the Ecuadoreans of the FARC bases since January 2006. The Colombians, he said, did not go public with these complaints ``because if you tell a criminal you're going to pick him up, he runs away.''
Colombia also says Ecuador and Venezuela are violating post-September 11 United Nations and OAS agreements binding nations to deny safe haven to terrorists.
Evidence gathered from computers seized in the raids suggest that Ecuador not only knew of the FARC camps but was negotiating deals with a group declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
The Colombians say there is evidence Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was providing the FARC with $300 million.
The case has some loose parallels with recent strikes by other nations.
Most agree that the U.S. actions in Afghanistan, for example, complied with international laws, while the Iraq invasion did not.
COMPARISONS
The Colombian case most resembles the Turkish incursions into northern Iraq to clear Kurdish rebels, says Schneider, adding that the Turkish attack is also wrong.
Colombia, he said, should have taken its case to the OAS, the U.N. Security Council, and even the Hague-based International Court of Justice, which determines whether nations are violating international treaties.
''Frankly, I think unfortunately Ecuador has a stronger argument,'' said Frank Mora, a professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College.
Some experts say countries can legally attack foreign terrorists or guerrillas outside their borders and without the consent of the host nation within very narrowly defined contexts, like when there is a situation of hot pursuit or self-defense, something Colombia can still attempt to convince the OAS mission of.
But even the Colombians have set aside the armed option.
Ospina said Colombia would use ''diplomatic action.'' If a country is shown to back terrorists, they would ''use the judicial option'' -- meaning the Hague-based International Criminal Court.
© 2008 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com
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Re: Andean Crisis: Colombia Worried Rebels Seek Uranium
Ecuador captures Colombian rebels
Reuters | Friday, 07 March 2008
Ecuador says it has captured five Colombian guerrillas as Latin American leaders gathered for a summit that will be dominated by a regional crisis over a cross-border military raid by Colombia.
"In an operation by the armed forces, five presumed guerrillas were found. FARC guerrillas," Security Minister Gustavo Larrea told reporters.
The capture was made by a patrol in the Amazonian Sucumbios province on Ecuador's side of the border with Colombia, he said.
Colombia ignited regional tensions when it raided Ecuador's territory last weekend and killed more than 20 Marxist rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Venezuela and Ecuador have moved troops to their borders with Colombia, and Venezuela has threatened to limit trade and investment ties with Bogota. Nicaragua joined Venezuela and Ecuador on Thursday in cutting off diplomatic relations with Colombia.
Colombia complains that its neighbors Ecuador and Venezuela - both oil exporting nations run by leftists - have protected FARC guerrillas whose group has killed thousands of Colombians over four decades.
Anti-US Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has led the left-tilting region in general condemnation of Colombia's violation of Ecuador's sovereignty.
The United States has backed Colombia, its closest South American ally and recipient of billions of dollars in US aid for fighting guerrillas and the cocaine trade.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, an ex-guerrilla whose country is in a territorial dispute with Colombia over small islands, said he was breaking off relations "in solidarity" with Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, who visited Nicaragua on Thursday before heading for Panama.
Ortega's move strengthened the leftist alliance that has formed around Ecuador and Venezuela and left their neighbor, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, increasingly isolated and under pressure to apologize.
"We are breaking with the terrorist politics that Alvaro Uribe's government is employing," Ortega said.
Mexico has been relatively quiet about the crisis but may be drawn into the fray as Ecuador's government said it was investigating whether Mexicans were among the more than 20 dead in the FARC camp.
The leaders of Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela and other Latin American countries were arriving on Thursday in the Dominican Republic for a Rio Group summit that had been planned long before the crisis.
Ecuador's Correa hopes to win an explicit condemnation there against Colombia.
"We want clear answers tomorrow," Correa said in Panama on Thursday, his sixth stop on a tour of the region to lobby against Uribe.
Reuters | Friday, 07 March 2008
Ecuador says it has captured five Colombian guerrillas as Latin American leaders gathered for a summit that will be dominated by a regional crisis over a cross-border military raid by Colombia.
"In an operation by the armed forces, five presumed guerrillas were found. FARC guerrillas," Security Minister Gustavo Larrea told reporters.
The capture was made by a patrol in the Amazonian Sucumbios province on Ecuador's side of the border with Colombia, he said.
Colombia ignited regional tensions when it raided Ecuador's territory last weekend and killed more than 20 Marxist rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Venezuela and Ecuador have moved troops to their borders with Colombia, and Venezuela has threatened to limit trade and investment ties with Bogota. Nicaragua joined Venezuela and Ecuador on Thursday in cutting off diplomatic relations with Colombia.
Colombia complains that its neighbors Ecuador and Venezuela - both oil exporting nations run by leftists - have protected FARC guerrillas whose group has killed thousands of Colombians over four decades.
Anti-US Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has led the left-tilting region in general condemnation of Colombia's violation of Ecuador's sovereignty.
The United States has backed Colombia, its closest South American ally and recipient of billions of dollars in US aid for fighting guerrillas and the cocaine trade.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, an ex-guerrilla whose country is in a territorial dispute with Colombia over small islands, said he was breaking off relations "in solidarity" with Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, who visited Nicaragua on Thursday before heading for Panama.
Ortega's move strengthened the leftist alliance that has formed around Ecuador and Venezuela and left their neighbor, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, increasingly isolated and under pressure to apologize.
"We are breaking with the terrorist politics that Alvaro Uribe's government is employing," Ortega said.
Mexico has been relatively quiet about the crisis but may be drawn into the fray as Ecuador's government said it was investigating whether Mexicans were among the more than 20 dead in the FARC camp.
The leaders of Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela and other Latin American countries were arriving on Thursday in the Dominican Republic for a Rio Group summit that had been planned long before the crisis.
Ecuador's Correa hopes to win an explicit condemnation there against Colombia.
"We want clear answers tomorrow," Correa said in Panama on Thursday, his sixth stop on a tour of the region to lobby against Uribe.
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Re: Andean Crisis: Colombia Worried Rebels Seek Uranium
Chavez Calls for Cooling of Tensions
By ANDREW O. SELSKY – 1 hour ago
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called Friday for a cooling of tensions with Colombia and predicted a summit of Latin American presidents in this seaside capital "is going to be positive."
But the leaders continued to trade accusations over a Colombian raid in Ecuadorean territory, with Ecuador's president criticizing "the aggression of Colombia" and Colombia's president countering that his colleague wasn't cooperating in the fight against terrorism.
Dominican President Leonel Fernandez opened the 20-nation Rio Group summit with a call for unity.
"What is least helpful in these moments in our Latin America ... is to act in a disunited way," Fernandez said. Uribe and Chavez, separated by two seats, listened intently.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa spoke first, criticizing "the aggression of Colombia" before audio was cut to journalists covering the event. Few of the speeches were broadcast, according to summit protocol, although at his request that of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was.
Uribe suggested that Correa was dishonest about his efforts to go after Colombian rebels on Ecuadorean soil.
"We didn't inform him (of the raid) because we have not had cooperation from the government of President Correa in the fight against terrorism," Uribe said.
The summit was to have focused on energy and other issues, but the diplomatic crisis in the Andes now has center stage. It was triggered by a deadly Colombian cross-border raid into Ecuador on Saturday that killed a senior Colombian rebel.
"People should go cool off a bit, chill out their nerves," Chavez told journalists at his hotel before leaving for the summit at the foreign ministry of the Dominican Republic. "I think the meeting today is going to be positive, because it is going to help the debate. We have to debate, talk, and this is the first step toward finding the road."
Chavez has ordered thousands of troops and tanks to Venezuela's border with Colombia and threatened to slash trade and nationalize Colombian-owned businesses. Correa has also sent troops to the border, although Uribe has said he won't do the same.
The summit marks the first face-to-face encounters between Chavez, Correa and Uribe since the international crisis began.
Correa told reporters he wants Uribe to apologize for the attack in Ecuadorean territory and give his "formal and firm commitment" that Colombia will never "violate" the sovereignty of another country.
On his arrival in Santo Domingo late Thursday, Chavez took shots at Colombia and the United States, which has supported the Andean nation with more than $4 billion in counterinsurgency and anti-drug aid since 2000.
"The U.S. empire has taken over Colombia," Chavez said.
Chavez claimed the strike that killed Raul Reyes, a top leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was "planned and directed by the United States." Later, he said he had information that "gringo soldiers" participated in the attack, but provided no evidence.
U.S. Southern Command spokesman Jose Ruiz neither confirmed or denied this week that the U.S. military took part in the attack that killed Reyes and 24 others. The latest body was discovered Thursday, according to Ecuador's security minister, Gustavo Larrea.
Uribe is hugely popular among Colombians cracking down on the FARC, which finances itself through kidnapping and drug trafficking. He declined to comment on the crisis as he arrived in the Dominican Republic.
Uribe has defended the attack as necessary given Ecuador's inaction against Colombian rebel camps in its territory. Colombia complains that rebels take refuge across the border in Ecuador and Venezuela and has accused their leftist leaders of backing the fighters — a claim the leaders deny.
The attack cut off all contacts between the rebels and France, where the freedom of French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt has become a national cause, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Friday.
Uribe has refused to rule out future military incursions into Ecuador or Venezuela, saying he first needs assurances from Correa and Chavez that they are not harboring rebels.
The crisis widened Thursday when Nicaragua broke off relations with Colombia. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who is also attending the summit, is an ally of Chavez and Correa.
Latin American foreign ministers on Thursday drafted a statement saying national sovereignty must be respected. The draft, to be submitted to the presidents on Friday, mirrors one earlier in the week from the Organization of American States, said Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley.
One of the rare regional voices offering support for Colombia was Salvadoran President Tony Saca, who said the Colombian government should be able to defend its citizens.
"We need to understand Colombia has the legitimate right to go after terrorists ... wherever they may be, of course without harming the sovereignty of another country," Saca said on arrival in Santo Domingo.
Larrea said Ecuador's army captured five suspected FARC rebels on Thursday. The suspects were nabbed "a few meters from the Colombian border," in the general area where the raid took place, he said.
Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo and Jonathan M. Katz in Santo Domingo; Frank Bajak in Bogota, Colombia; and Ian James in Caracas, Venezuela contributed to this report.
By ANDREW O. SELSKY – 1 hour ago
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called Friday for a cooling of tensions with Colombia and predicted a summit of Latin American presidents in this seaside capital "is going to be positive."
But the leaders continued to trade accusations over a Colombian raid in Ecuadorean territory, with Ecuador's president criticizing "the aggression of Colombia" and Colombia's president countering that his colleague wasn't cooperating in the fight against terrorism.
Dominican President Leonel Fernandez opened the 20-nation Rio Group summit with a call for unity.
"What is least helpful in these moments in our Latin America ... is to act in a disunited way," Fernandez said. Uribe and Chavez, separated by two seats, listened intently.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa spoke first, criticizing "the aggression of Colombia" before audio was cut to journalists covering the event. Few of the speeches were broadcast, according to summit protocol, although at his request that of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was.
Uribe suggested that Correa was dishonest about his efforts to go after Colombian rebels on Ecuadorean soil.
"We didn't inform him (of the raid) because we have not had cooperation from the government of President Correa in the fight against terrorism," Uribe said.
The summit was to have focused on energy and other issues, but the diplomatic crisis in the Andes now has center stage. It was triggered by a deadly Colombian cross-border raid into Ecuador on Saturday that killed a senior Colombian rebel.
"People should go cool off a bit, chill out their nerves," Chavez told journalists at his hotel before leaving for the summit at the foreign ministry of the Dominican Republic. "I think the meeting today is going to be positive, because it is going to help the debate. We have to debate, talk, and this is the first step toward finding the road."
Chavez has ordered thousands of troops and tanks to Venezuela's border with Colombia and threatened to slash trade and nationalize Colombian-owned businesses. Correa has also sent troops to the border, although Uribe has said he won't do the same.
The summit marks the first face-to-face encounters between Chavez, Correa and Uribe since the international crisis began.
Correa told reporters he wants Uribe to apologize for the attack in Ecuadorean territory and give his "formal and firm commitment" that Colombia will never "violate" the sovereignty of another country.
On his arrival in Santo Domingo late Thursday, Chavez took shots at Colombia and the United States, which has supported the Andean nation with more than $4 billion in counterinsurgency and anti-drug aid since 2000.
"The U.S. empire has taken over Colombia," Chavez said.
Chavez claimed the strike that killed Raul Reyes, a top leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was "planned and directed by the United States." Later, he said he had information that "gringo soldiers" participated in the attack, but provided no evidence.
U.S. Southern Command spokesman Jose Ruiz neither confirmed or denied this week that the U.S. military took part in the attack that killed Reyes and 24 others. The latest body was discovered Thursday, according to Ecuador's security minister, Gustavo Larrea.
Uribe is hugely popular among Colombians cracking down on the FARC, which finances itself through kidnapping and drug trafficking. He declined to comment on the crisis as he arrived in the Dominican Republic.
Uribe has defended the attack as necessary given Ecuador's inaction against Colombian rebel camps in its territory. Colombia complains that rebels take refuge across the border in Ecuador and Venezuela and has accused their leftist leaders of backing the fighters — a claim the leaders deny.
The attack cut off all contacts between the rebels and France, where the freedom of French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt has become a national cause, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Friday.
Uribe has refused to rule out future military incursions into Ecuador or Venezuela, saying he first needs assurances from Correa and Chavez that they are not harboring rebels.
The crisis widened Thursday when Nicaragua broke off relations with Colombia. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who is also attending the summit, is an ally of Chavez and Correa.
Latin American foreign ministers on Thursday drafted a statement saying national sovereignty must be respected. The draft, to be submitted to the presidents on Friday, mirrors one earlier in the week from the Organization of American States, said Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley.
One of the rare regional voices offering support for Colombia was Salvadoran President Tony Saca, who said the Colombian government should be able to defend its citizens.
"We need to understand Colombia has the legitimate right to go after terrorists ... wherever they may be, of course without harming the sovereignty of another country," Saca said on arrival in Santo Domingo.
Larrea said Ecuador's army captured five suspected FARC rebels on Thursday. The suspects were nabbed "a few meters from the Colombian border," in the general area where the raid took place, he said.
Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo and Jonathan M. Katz in Santo Domingo; Frank Bajak in Bogota, Colombia; and Ian James in Caracas, Venezuela contributed to this report.
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Re: Andean Crisis: Tensions begin to cool down, war not likely
Leaders say Colombia crisis over
The presidents of Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia have shaken hands at a regional summit, marking the end of a diplomatic crisis in the Andean region.
The crisis had been triggered by a cross-border raid by Colombian troops into Ecuador to attack Farc rebels.
Earlier there had been heated exchanges between the heads of state at the Rio Group summit in the Dominican Republic.
The summit of Latin American leaders had originally been planned to discuss energy and other issues.
But the crisis, which started with the raid last Saturday, had erupted into the worst political spat in the region for years.
Venezuela and Ecuador cut diplomatic ties with Bogota and sent troops to their borders after the Colombian operation which left 20 Farc rebels dead, including a senior Farc commander, Raul Reyes.
As the summit debate unfolded, Colombia's defence minister announced that another rebel leader, Ivan Rios, had been killed - this time on Colombian soil and at the hands of his own men.
Verbal sparring
Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, who had also broken off diplomatic ties with Colombia, said they would be re-established after the presidents shook hands.
The handshakes were broadcast live on television across Latin America in response to a special request from the summit's host, Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa and his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe had clashed at the opening of the summit.
Mr Correa condemned Colombia's "aggression", while Mr Uribe accused his opposite number of having links with the Farc rebels.
The Colombian president said he had not warned Ecuador before the raid because Mr Correa had not co-operated in the fight against terrorism.
He also claimed material seized in the operation proved links between Mr Correa's government and the rebels.
Mr Correa rejected the claims, saying his hands were not "stained with blood".
He admitted there had been communications with Farc, but only because his government was trying to secure the release of hostages held by the rebels, including former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.
But before shaking hands, to applause from the summit delegates, Mr Correa said: "With the commitment of never attacking a brother country again and by asking forgiveness, we can consider this very serious incident resolved."
The BBC's Jeremy McDermott says President Uribe's huge gamble in ordering the air strike that killed Reyes appears to have paid off.
He said Mr Uribe knew it would lead to a diplomatic incident with Ecuador, but perhaps did not realise that Venezuela and Nicaragua would also break off diplomatic relations.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 284597.stm
Published: 2008/03/07 22:46:03 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
The presidents of Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia have shaken hands at a regional summit, marking the end of a diplomatic crisis in the Andean region.
The crisis had been triggered by a cross-border raid by Colombian troops into Ecuador to attack Farc rebels.
Earlier there had been heated exchanges between the heads of state at the Rio Group summit in the Dominican Republic.
The summit of Latin American leaders had originally been planned to discuss energy and other issues.
But the crisis, which started with the raid last Saturday, had erupted into the worst political spat in the region for years.
Venezuela and Ecuador cut diplomatic ties with Bogota and sent troops to their borders after the Colombian operation which left 20 Farc rebels dead, including a senior Farc commander, Raul Reyes.
As the summit debate unfolded, Colombia's defence minister announced that another rebel leader, Ivan Rios, had been killed - this time on Colombian soil and at the hands of his own men.
Verbal sparring
Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, who had also broken off diplomatic ties with Colombia, said they would be re-established after the presidents shook hands.
The handshakes were broadcast live on television across Latin America in response to a special request from the summit's host, Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa and his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe had clashed at the opening of the summit.
Mr Correa condemned Colombia's "aggression", while Mr Uribe accused his opposite number of having links with the Farc rebels.
The Colombian president said he had not warned Ecuador before the raid because Mr Correa had not co-operated in the fight against terrorism.
He also claimed material seized in the operation proved links between Mr Correa's government and the rebels.
Mr Correa rejected the claims, saying his hands were not "stained with blood".
He admitted there had been communications with Farc, but only because his government was trying to secure the release of hostages held by the rebels, including former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.
But before shaking hands, to applause from the summit delegates, Mr Correa said: "With the commitment of never attacking a brother country again and by asking forgiveness, we can consider this very serious incident resolved."
The BBC's Jeremy McDermott says President Uribe's huge gamble in ordering the air strike that killed Reyes appears to have paid off.
He said Mr Uribe knew it would lead to a diplomatic incident with Ecuador, but perhaps did not realise that Venezuela and Nicaragua would also break off diplomatic relations.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 284597.stm
Published: 2008/03/07 22:46:03 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
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Re: Andean Crisis (March 1-7) ENDS! Another FARC leader killed
Venezuela restores Colombia relations, ties fragile
Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:34am
By Ana Isabel Martinez
CARACAS, March 9 (Reuters) - Venezuela will immediately restore diplomacy with Colombia but ties are still fragile, the government said on Sunday, after this week's resolution of a regional dispute that had raised fears of war.
A Colombian raid on a Marxist guerrilla camp in Ecuador last week sparked the region's worst diplomatic crisis in years, with Venezuela and Ecuador sending troops to their borders with Colombia, their U.S.-backed neighbor.
Leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cut ties with Colombia but, following a handshake at a regional summit on Friday, promised to quickly withdraw the 10 army battalions he had sent to the border and normalize relations.
Colombia's March 1 raid on a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rebel camp killed over 20 fighters including the rebel's second in command, Raul Reyes.
The attack came just days after the FARC released four lawmakers they had held hostage for years in a deal negotiated by Chavez, who has good relations with the guerrillas.
The foreign ministry said on Sunday that Venezuela would send diplomats, including a soon-to-be-named new ambassador, back to Bogota immediately and was ready to receive Colombian diplomats "as soon as possible."
Despite all sides de-escalating the conflict in recent days, relations are still delicate between Colombia's pro-Washington government and left-wing nationalists in Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.
Venezuela's Foreign Minister, Nicolas Maduro, said the countries will need to move with caution to avoid new fractures between the ideologically opposed nations.
TIES STILL FRAGILE
"We have to be very watchful and careful so the recuperation in political relations overcomes the current fragility," Maduro said in an interview with Reuters.
Ecuador has been reluctant to quickly patch things up with Colombia, demanding a commitment that the Colombians never again launch a raid across the borders.
"We're the victims. Uribe must guarantee that neighbors don't find themselves involved in this," Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said in an interview published in an Argentine newspaper on Sunday.
Venezuela, which is an outspoken critic of the government of U.S. President George W. Bush, accused Washington of trying stir up violence in the region.
"The U.S. government was close to achieving its goal that our countries entered belligerent conflict," Maduro said, warning that any attack on Venezuela would be met with violence.
"We are a people of peace but also a warrior people," he said. "Nobody should interfere with us."
The United States spends billions of dollars on military aid to help Colombia in its fight against rebels and drug cartels. Venezuela has been re-arming its military in recent years, buying fighter jets from Russia after Washington refused to repair its aging U.S.-built war planes.
The head of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, was in Quito on Sunday and said he wanted to clear up exactly what had happened in the raid. He said he would propose mechanisms to lower regional tensions.
Nicaragua, which briefly cut relations with Bogota in support of Ecuador and has its own border disputes with Colombia, has also agreed to restore its diplomats. (Additional reporting by Helen Popper in Buenos Aires and Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel, editing by Todd Eastham)
Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:34am
By Ana Isabel Martinez
CARACAS, March 9 (Reuters) - Venezuela will immediately restore diplomacy with Colombia but ties are still fragile, the government said on Sunday, after this week's resolution of a regional dispute that had raised fears of war.
A Colombian raid on a Marxist guerrilla camp in Ecuador last week sparked the region's worst diplomatic crisis in years, with Venezuela and Ecuador sending troops to their borders with Colombia, their U.S.-backed neighbor.
Leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cut ties with Colombia but, following a handshake at a regional summit on Friday, promised to quickly withdraw the 10 army battalions he had sent to the border and normalize relations.
Colombia's March 1 raid on a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rebel camp killed over 20 fighters including the rebel's second in command, Raul Reyes.
The attack came just days after the FARC released four lawmakers they had held hostage for years in a deal negotiated by Chavez, who has good relations with the guerrillas.
The foreign ministry said on Sunday that Venezuela would send diplomats, including a soon-to-be-named new ambassador, back to Bogota immediately and was ready to receive Colombian diplomats "as soon as possible."
Despite all sides de-escalating the conflict in recent days, relations are still delicate between Colombia's pro-Washington government and left-wing nationalists in Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.
Venezuela's Foreign Minister, Nicolas Maduro, said the countries will need to move with caution to avoid new fractures between the ideologically opposed nations.
TIES STILL FRAGILE
"We have to be very watchful and careful so the recuperation in political relations overcomes the current fragility," Maduro said in an interview with Reuters.
Ecuador has been reluctant to quickly patch things up with Colombia, demanding a commitment that the Colombians never again launch a raid across the borders.
"We're the victims. Uribe must guarantee that neighbors don't find themselves involved in this," Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said in an interview published in an Argentine newspaper on Sunday.
Venezuela, which is an outspoken critic of the government of U.S. President George W. Bush, accused Washington of trying stir up violence in the region.
"The U.S. government was close to achieving its goal that our countries entered belligerent conflict," Maduro said, warning that any attack on Venezuela would be met with violence.
"We are a people of peace but also a warrior people," he said. "Nobody should interfere with us."
The United States spends billions of dollars on military aid to help Colombia in its fight against rebels and drug cartels. Venezuela has been re-arming its military in recent years, buying fighter jets from Russia after Washington refused to repair its aging U.S.-built war planes.
The head of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, was in Quito on Sunday and said he wanted to clear up exactly what had happened in the raid. He said he would propose mechanisms to lower regional tensions.
Nicaragua, which briefly cut relations with Bogota in support of Ecuador and has its own border disputes with Colombia, has also agreed to restore its diplomats. (Additional reporting by Helen Popper in Buenos Aires and Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel, editing by Todd Eastham)
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Andean Crisis: Bush sharpens criticism of Venezuela's Chavez
Bush sharpens criticism of Venezuela's Chavez
Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:06pm EDT
WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush sharpened his criticism of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday, accusing him of a "disturbing pattern" of provocations and of squandering his country's oil wealth to foment anti-Americanism.
Bush spoke just days after Latin American leaders mediated an end to a week-long crisis sparked by a raid by Colombia troops into Ecuador that killed a top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC.
Venezuela and Ecuador had responded by sending troops to their borders with Colombia, their U.S.-backed neighbor.
"This is the latest step in a disturbing pattern of provocative behavior by the regime in Caracas," Bush said in a speech to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
As the crisis engulfed the Andean region last week, Bush had been quick to single out Chavez, a strident leftist critic of the U.S. administration, as a culprit and warned against acts of aggression.
Trying to draw links between Chavez's government and the FARC, which the United States lists as a terrorist group, Bush said on Wednesday, "It has also called for FARC terrorists to be recognized as a legitimate army, and senior regime officials have met with FARC officials in Venezuela."
The Andean crisis reflected a sharp political divide in South America, where Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who has strong U.S. backing, is opposed by leftists led by Chavez who fiercely reject what they brand U.S. "imperialism."
Chavez, who has called for a socialist revolution in Latin America to counter U.S. influence, has regularly hurled insults at Bush in recent years and once called him the "devil" in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
"As it tries to expand its influence in Latin America, the regime claims to promote social justice," Bush said. "In truth its agenda amounts to little more than empty promises and a thirst for power."
"It has has squandered its oil wealth in an effort to promote a hostile, anti-American vision," he added. "It has left its own citizens to face food shortages while it threatens its neighbors." (Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by David Wiessler)
Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:06pm EDT
WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush sharpened his criticism of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday, accusing him of a "disturbing pattern" of provocations and of squandering his country's oil wealth to foment anti-Americanism.
Bush spoke just days after Latin American leaders mediated an end to a week-long crisis sparked by a raid by Colombia troops into Ecuador that killed a top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC.
Venezuela and Ecuador had responded by sending troops to their borders with Colombia, their U.S.-backed neighbor.
"This is the latest step in a disturbing pattern of provocative behavior by the regime in Caracas," Bush said in a speech to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
As the crisis engulfed the Andean region last week, Bush had been quick to single out Chavez, a strident leftist critic of the U.S. administration, as a culprit and warned against acts of aggression.
Trying to draw links between Chavez's government and the FARC, which the United States lists as a terrorist group, Bush said on Wednesday, "It has also called for FARC terrorists to be recognized as a legitimate army, and senior regime officials have met with FARC officials in Venezuela."
The Andean crisis reflected a sharp political divide in South America, where Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who has strong U.S. backing, is opposed by leftists led by Chavez who fiercely reject what they brand U.S. "imperialism."
Chavez, who has called for a socialist revolution in Latin America to counter U.S. influence, has regularly hurled insults at Bush in recent years and once called him the "devil" in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
"As it tries to expand its influence in Latin America, the regime claims to promote social justice," Bush said. "In truth its agenda amounts to little more than empty promises and a thirst for power."
"It has has squandered its oil wealth in an effort to promote a hostile, anti-American vision," he added. "It has left its own citizens to face food shortages while it threatens its neighbors." (Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by David Wiessler)
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HURAKAN
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Re: Andean Crisis: Computer files ties Chávez to FARC
Friday, May. 16, 2008
The US Dilemma Over Chavez
By Tim Padgett/Miami
Laptop computers packed with evidence allegedly tying Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez to Colombia's Marxist FARC rebels pose a dilemma for the Bush Administration: The fact that the FARC is listed by Washington as a terrorist organization means the laptop data provide cause for the U.S. to add Chavez's government to its list of international sponsors of terrorism, as many conservatives on Capitol Hill are now demanding. But there are also numerous reasons the Administration could resist the temptation to turn up the heat on its most vocal challenger in Latin America.
The laptops were captured on March 1 when the Colombian army overran a FARC base in neighboring Ecuador, killing guerrilla boss Raul Reyes. Their contents, according to the Colombian government, extensively link Chavez with the rebels, even revealing an alleged Venezuelan plan to loan the FARC $250 million. Chavez denies funding the rebels and accuses Colombia of planting the laptops. But on Thursday, the Paris-based international police agency Interpol reported that its examination of the computers found no evidence that they had been tampered with. Colombia's conservative President Alvaro Uribe and the Bush Administration have issued hearty told-you-so's about Chavez and the FARC, leaving the usually hard-driving Chavez on the defensive.
"These are serious allegations about Venezuela supplying arms and support to a terrorist organization," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. Chavez, an unabashed FARC sympathizer, has dismissed the information from "the supposed computers of Raul Reyes" as fake. "This shameful show today," he said Thursday of the Interpol report, "is a new act of aggression."
But if the Interpol report vindicates the Bush Administration's claims about Chavez, it also raises the tricky question of how to respond. After all, Venezuela supplies almost 15% of U.S. crude oil imports, and it controls the hemisphere's largest reserves. Although such a move would probably be disastrous for his own economy, Chavez has long threatened to suspend oil exports to the U.S. if it took steps he considers aggression against Venezuela — which could include any terrorism-sponsor designation. Chavez may not follow through, but in light of the current energy crunch, few in Washington would be willing to call his bluff.
A second reason the U.S. may proceed with caution is the regional furor caused by the operation during which the laptops were captured: Colombia's incursion into Ecuador was backed by the U.S., but was branded a violation of international law by the Organization of American States, and prompted a regional diplomatic crisis that left Colombia and the U.S. isolated. As a result, much of the region feels the U.S. lacks the moral authority in this case to label Venezuela a terrorism sponsor. Even the Republican staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a report issued last month headed up by the office of Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, advised the Bush Administration not to give Chavez the kind of anti-U.S. tool he uses so well to his favor. "If Venezuela is found to be complicit, the U.S. would be wise to allow for the regional dynamic to take its course," the report wrote. "If the U.S. reacts too strongly, attention will go from Venezuela's transgressions to yet another example of 'American intervention' and strong-arm tactics."
A terrorism-sponsor designation would also prompt Venezuela to counter more loudly with the case of Luis Posada Carriles, the Cuban exile wanted in Venezuela for allegedly masterminding a 1976 terror attack on a Cuban jetliner in Caracas, which killed 73 people. The U.S. refuses to extradite Posada despite FBI evidence implicating him in the crime. The 80-year-old, who lives freely in Miami, denies the accusations. Chavez has long argued that the Posada case proves what he calls a U.S. double standard on terrorism.
And then there's the possibility, albeit remote in the eyes of many observers, that Chavez might be right — that the laptops themselves might not be authentic. Interpol chief Richard Noble said he was "absolutely certain" that the computers "came from a FARC terrorist camp." But technically, all that Interpol did in its examination of the computers was to confirm that they had not been messed with post-March 1; it wasn't asked to investigate Chavez's allegations that the computers had been planted by the Colombian military in the first place. "The intelligence is mistaken," Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.S. Bernardo Alvarez insisted to TIME. "The evidence is a patrana — a tall tale — more anti-Venezuela propaganda from Colombia and the U.S." And the computer data itself, though certainly incriminating if true, is still open to interpretation: How much of the alleged Venezuelan support discussed in the computer documents, for example, was what the FARC was requesting rather than what Venezuela was actually willing to give? There's no doubt that Chavez has some explaining to do about the documents, but there are also doubts he can exploit.
Another incentive against raising the stakes with Venezuela is the three U.S. defense contractors who have been held hostage by the FARC since 2003. Chavez has, this year, mediated the release of a handful of high-profile Colombian hostages held by the guerrillas, and sources familiar with the case of the U.S. captives acknowledge that the Venezuelan firebrand could play a similar role in their freedom. It's an admittedly slim hope, but one the U.S. probably won't want to jeopardize at this point.
And finally, Colombia itself may not be overly enthusiastic about clobbering Venezuela with terrorism sanctions. Venezuela is still its chief trading partner — bilateral commerce shot up 25% last year — and neither nation can afford to compromise it. Chavez did call Uribe a "criminal" after Colombia's March 1 sortie, and he said Thursday that Venezuela would now "deeply review ... relations with Colombia." But Uribe directed no such remarks at Chavez. He seems satisfied that the laptops have done the talking for him.
The US Dilemma Over Chavez
By Tim Padgett/Miami
Laptop computers packed with evidence allegedly tying Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez to Colombia's Marxist FARC rebels pose a dilemma for the Bush Administration: The fact that the FARC is listed by Washington as a terrorist organization means the laptop data provide cause for the U.S. to add Chavez's government to its list of international sponsors of terrorism, as many conservatives on Capitol Hill are now demanding. But there are also numerous reasons the Administration could resist the temptation to turn up the heat on its most vocal challenger in Latin America.
The laptops were captured on March 1 when the Colombian army overran a FARC base in neighboring Ecuador, killing guerrilla boss Raul Reyes. Their contents, according to the Colombian government, extensively link Chavez with the rebels, even revealing an alleged Venezuelan plan to loan the FARC $250 million. Chavez denies funding the rebels and accuses Colombia of planting the laptops. But on Thursday, the Paris-based international police agency Interpol reported that its examination of the computers found no evidence that they had been tampered with. Colombia's conservative President Alvaro Uribe and the Bush Administration have issued hearty told-you-so's about Chavez and the FARC, leaving the usually hard-driving Chavez on the defensive.
"These are serious allegations about Venezuela supplying arms and support to a terrorist organization," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. Chavez, an unabashed FARC sympathizer, has dismissed the information from "the supposed computers of Raul Reyes" as fake. "This shameful show today," he said Thursday of the Interpol report, "is a new act of aggression."
But if the Interpol report vindicates the Bush Administration's claims about Chavez, it also raises the tricky question of how to respond. After all, Venezuela supplies almost 15% of U.S. crude oil imports, and it controls the hemisphere's largest reserves. Although such a move would probably be disastrous for his own economy, Chavez has long threatened to suspend oil exports to the U.S. if it took steps he considers aggression against Venezuela — which could include any terrorism-sponsor designation. Chavez may not follow through, but in light of the current energy crunch, few in Washington would be willing to call his bluff.
A second reason the U.S. may proceed with caution is the regional furor caused by the operation during which the laptops were captured: Colombia's incursion into Ecuador was backed by the U.S., but was branded a violation of international law by the Organization of American States, and prompted a regional diplomatic crisis that left Colombia and the U.S. isolated. As a result, much of the region feels the U.S. lacks the moral authority in this case to label Venezuela a terrorism sponsor. Even the Republican staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a report issued last month headed up by the office of Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, advised the Bush Administration not to give Chavez the kind of anti-U.S. tool he uses so well to his favor. "If Venezuela is found to be complicit, the U.S. would be wise to allow for the regional dynamic to take its course," the report wrote. "If the U.S. reacts too strongly, attention will go from Venezuela's transgressions to yet another example of 'American intervention' and strong-arm tactics."
A terrorism-sponsor designation would also prompt Venezuela to counter more loudly with the case of Luis Posada Carriles, the Cuban exile wanted in Venezuela for allegedly masterminding a 1976 terror attack on a Cuban jetliner in Caracas, which killed 73 people. The U.S. refuses to extradite Posada despite FBI evidence implicating him in the crime. The 80-year-old, who lives freely in Miami, denies the accusations. Chavez has long argued that the Posada case proves what he calls a U.S. double standard on terrorism.
And then there's the possibility, albeit remote in the eyes of many observers, that Chavez might be right — that the laptops themselves might not be authentic. Interpol chief Richard Noble said he was "absolutely certain" that the computers "came from a FARC terrorist camp." But technically, all that Interpol did in its examination of the computers was to confirm that they had not been messed with post-March 1; it wasn't asked to investigate Chavez's allegations that the computers had been planted by the Colombian military in the first place. "The intelligence is mistaken," Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.S. Bernardo Alvarez insisted to TIME. "The evidence is a patrana — a tall tale — more anti-Venezuela propaganda from Colombia and the U.S." And the computer data itself, though certainly incriminating if true, is still open to interpretation: How much of the alleged Venezuelan support discussed in the computer documents, for example, was what the FARC was requesting rather than what Venezuela was actually willing to give? There's no doubt that Chavez has some explaining to do about the documents, but there are also doubts he can exploit.
Another incentive against raising the stakes with Venezuela is the three U.S. defense contractors who have been held hostage by the FARC since 2003. Chavez has, this year, mediated the release of a handful of high-profile Colombian hostages held by the guerrillas, and sources familiar with the case of the U.S. captives acknowledge that the Venezuelan firebrand could play a similar role in their freedom. It's an admittedly slim hope, but one the U.S. probably won't want to jeopardize at this point.
And finally, Colombia itself may not be overly enthusiastic about clobbering Venezuela with terrorism sanctions. Venezuela is still its chief trading partner — bilateral commerce shot up 25% last year — and neither nation can afford to compromise it. Chavez did call Uribe a "criminal" after Colombia's March 1 sortie, and he said Thursday that Venezuela would now "deeply review ... relations with Colombia." But Uribe directed no such remarks at Chavez. He seems satisfied that the laptops have done the talking for him.
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