U.S. Venezuelan Emb. blasts Counter-terror report

[RPankn]

Published: Friday, April 30, 2004
Bylined to: Philip Stinard


US State Department Office of Counter-terrorism report is inconsistent with respect to Venezuela

The Venezuela Embassy in Washington D.C. says there are "inconsistencies" in a report with respect to Venezuela, published by the US State Department Office of Counter-terrorism yesterday, April 29, 2004.


The Embassy says:

1. The report recognizes only the smallest part of the efforts that Venezuela has made against terrorism in its own territory, such as the extradition and arrest of individuals sought by Spain for their involvement in acts of terrorism; and the adherence of Venezuela to several international legal documents and treaties against terrorism, some of which, to be sure, have not yet been ratified by the United States.

2. The report is clearly inconsistent with respect to Venezuela, and furthermore assumes a conceptual confusion by trying to relate United States military intervention with the fight against terrorism. The act of rejecting United States unilateral military actions, an action shared by many countries in the world, does not mean that Venezuela, or any other country opposed to military action in Iraq, is being inconsistent in the fight against terrorism. Cooperation in the fight against terrorism cannot be conditioned on the support of all actions that the United States, or any other government in the world, takes against this scourge. Venezuela has not rejected, nor does it reject, increased collaboration with any country with respect to counter-terrorism within the parameters of International Law. It is not Venezuela’s fault that the will to cooperate with the United States has “diminished or obscured” (according to the State Department). On the contrary, we are willing to continue developing it.[/u]

3. Cooperation on the subject of terrorism with the Republic of Colombia is a subject that needs to be defined by the two countries within the bounds of International Law and in agreement with the foreign policies of both.

Financial and logistic cooperation that the United States has provided to the Colombian government through Plan Colombia does not give them any right to interfere in the relations between Venezuela and Colombia, which are governed by the United Nations Charter, as was recently reiterated by the Colombian Foreign Minister. Venezuela is not only prepared to guard its border, but has also invested many of its own economic resources to deploy military forces and update its equipment for border control. If it were otherwise, we would have been victims of the unfortunate Colombian internal conflict that has left a significant number of citizens dead in confrontations and attacks by irregular Colombian forces, among them the paramilitary groups that are active in that country. Venezuela battles arms trafficking and makes every effort to control it, taking into account the difficulties of having a border of more than 2,000 kilometers.

4. It is inconceivable that a country with the most advanced technological resources, and one of the most power intelligence services on the planet, uses “unconfirmed press reports” to draw conclusions and form opinions.[/u] In the end, this practice is counterproductive to cooperation between our two countries, since it encourages groups and individuals to make accusations and reports without any basis, creating unnecessary noises that obscure the technical and professional efforts between our two countries with respect to cooperation against terrorism, such as has been the successful cooperation between our two countries with respect to the control of drug trafficking.

Translated by Philip Stinard

En Espanol:

Embajada de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, Washington DC, 20007

COMUNICADO
Reporte de la oficina de Contraterrorismo del Departamento de Estado es inconsistente en relación a Venezuela.

La embajada de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela , frente a la sección que sobre Venezuela incluye el reporte de la oficina Contra-terrorismo del Departamento de Estado publicado este jueves 29 de abril, desea llamar la atención de la opinión pública en relación a las inconsistencias de este reporte:

1. El reporte reconoce tan sólo una mínima parte de los esfuerzos que Venezuela está haciendo en contra del terrorismo en su territorio, tales como la extradición y arresto de individuos solicitados por España por estar incursos en actos de terrorismo, y la adhesión de Venezuela a diversos instrumentos legales y tratados internacionales en contra del terrorismo, alguno de los cuales, por cierto, aún no han sido ratificados por los propios Estados Unidos.

2. El reporte es claramente inconsistente en lo que refiere a Venezuela y además supone una confusión conceptual al tratar de relacionar la intervención militar de los Estados Unidos con la lucha contra el terrorismo. El hecho de rechazar las acciones militares unilaterales de los Estados Unidos, acción compartida por muchos países del mundo, no significa que Venezuela o cualquier otro país que se oponga a la acción militar en Irak, esté siendo inconsistentes en la lucha contra el terrorismo. La cooperación en la lucha contra el terrorismo no puede estar condicionada a que se apoyen todas las acciones que contra este flagelo adelante el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, o cualquier otro gobierno del mundo. Venezuela no ha rechazado, ni rechaza, una mayor colaboración con cualquier país en esta materia dentro del marco del Derecho Internacional. No es responsabilidad de Venezuela que la voluntad de cooperación con los Estados Unidos, según el Departamento de Estado, se haya “disminuido u opacado”. Al contrario, estamos dispuestos a seguirla desarrollando.

3. La cooperación en materia de terrorismo con la República de Colombia es un asunto a ser definido por los dos países dentro del Derecho Internacional y de acuerdo a las políticas exteriores de ambos. La colaboración financiera y logística que los Estados Unidos brinda al Gobierno colombiano en el marco del Plan Colombia, no les otorga ningún derecho a interferir en las relaciones entre Venezuela y Colombia, que se rigen por la carta de las Naciones Unidas, tal y como lo reiterara recientemente la cancillería colombiana. Venezuela no sólo ha estado y está dispuesta a vigilar su frontera, sino que ha invertido cuantiosos recursos económicos propios para desplegar fuerzas militares y actualizar sus equipos para el control y la vigilancia fronteriza. Por el contrario, hemos sido victimas del lamentable conflicto interno colombiano que ha dejado un significativo saldo de ciudadanos muertos en enfrentamiento y ataques con fuerzas irregulares colombianas, incluyendo los grupos paramilitares que actúan en ese país. Venezuela combate el tráfico de armas y realiza todos los esfuerzos para controlarlo, tomando en cuenta las dificultades propias de la realidad de una frontera de más de 2000 kilómetros.

4. Es inconcebible que un país con los más avanzados recursos tecnológicos, y uno de los más poderosos servicios de inteligencia del planeta, se apoye en “reportes de prensa no confirmados” para sacar conclusiones y emitir opiniones. Esta práctica resulta al final contraproducente para la cooperación entre nuestros dos países, ya que alienta a grupos e individuos a realizar acusaciones y reportes sin base alguna, creando ruidos innecesarios que opacan el esfuerzo técnico y profesional entre los dos países en los esfuerzos de cooperación contra el terrorismo, tal y como ha sido la exitosa experiencia en cooperación en materias de drogas entre nuestros dos países.


Link: www.vheadline.com/printer_news.asp?id=20962

RPankn's note: Why can't the Democrats talk like this all the time?

[RPankn]

Venezuela-Colombia contrast in US State Department's affinity for failures

VHeadline.com's Philip Stinard writes: In it's typical show of affinity for failed democracies, the US State Department today praised Colombia's efforts to fight terrorism and critized Venezuela. Considering that Venezuela has a successful popular democracy (despite US efforts to the contrary) and that Colombia is facing a civil war and serious human rights abuses at the hands of its US-financed paramilitary death squads, it might be wiser (not to mention more truthful) to hold up Venezuela as a model of success in fighting international terrorism and Colombia as an abject failure. Portions of the US State Department Office of Counterrorism "Patterns of Global Terrorism 2003" Annual Report follow:

Excerpts from US State Department Office of Counterrorism "Patterns of Global Terrorism 2003" Annual Report (http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/2003/c12108.htm):

Venezuela:
Venezuelan cooperation in the international campaign against terrorism was inconsistent in 2003. Public recriminations against US counterterrorism policies by President Chavez and his close supporters continued to overshadow and detract from the limited cooperation that exists between specialists and technicians of the two nations.

President Chavez’s stated ideological affinity with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN) limits Venezuelan cooperation with Colombia in combating terrorism. Venezuela is unwilling or unable to systematically police the Venezuela-Colombia 1,400-mile border. The FARC and the ELN often use the area for cross-border incursions and regard Venezuelan territory near the border as a safehaven. In addition, weapons and ammunition—some from official Venezuelan stocks and facilities—continued fl owing from Venezuelan suppliers into the hands of Colombian terrorist organizations. It is unclear to what extent the Government of Venezuela approves of or condones material support to Colombian terrorists and at what level. Efforts by Venezuelan security forces to control their sides of the border and to interdict arms flows to these groups are ineffective.

Current Venezuelan law does not specifically mention crimes of terrorism, although the UN Convention on Terrorist Bombings of 1997 and the UN Convention on Terrorism Financing of 1999 became law in Venezuela on 8 July 2003. An organized crime bill pending in the National Assembly would define terrorist activities, establish punishments, and facilitate the prosecution and asset forfeiture of terrorism financiers. Venezuela signed the OAS Inter- American Convention Against Terrorism in June 2002 and ratified it in January 2004.

Terrorist tactics were employed throughout 2003 by unidentified domestic groups attempting to influence the tenuous political situation, particularly in Caracas. A series of small bombs and threats throughout the year were variously blamed on supporters of President Chavez or the Government’s political opponents.

Venezuela extradited one member of the terrorist organization Basque Fatherland and Liberty to Spain and arrested another. Unconfirmed press accounts continued to allege the presence of radical Islamic operatives in Venezuela -- especially on Margarita Island. In February 2003, a Venezuelan national managed to fly from Venezuela to London with a hand grenade in his checked luggage, but his intent remains unclear.

Venezuela is a party to six of the 12 international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism.

Colombia:
Colombia fully comprehends the devastation caused by terrorism as it has faced large-scale domestic terrorism for several decades. From the day the Uribe Administration assumed office in August 2002, it has demonstrated a firm resolve to combat terrorists of all stripes. The Government of Colombia is supportive of US Government efforts to combat terrorist acts, target terrorist finances, and cooperate with extradition requests. Colombia continued to speak out forcefully and often against terrorist organizations throughout the year.

Colombia continued its struggle against the country’s three main terrorist groups -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC -- all of which were redesignated by the United States as Foreign Terrorist Organizations in 2003. In June, the United States also designated the FARC and the AUC as significant foreign narcotics traffickers under the Kingpin Act.

Colombia suffered many large and small domestic terrorist attacks throughout 2003. Car bombs, kidnapping, political murders, the indiscriminant use of landmines, and economic sabotage were common occurrences. Some of the more noteworthy examples included the FARC’s car bombing in February of Bogota’s El Nogal Club killing 34 and wounding more than 160; the FARC hostage taking of three US contractors and killing of another American and a Colombian when their plane crashed near Florencia, Caqueta Department (the three Americans remain hostages) in February; a “house bomb” in February in Neiva that killed 16 and wounded more than 40; an ELN kidnapping in September of eight foreign tourists visiting archaeological ruins (one escaped, two were released in November, and five were freed in December); a grenade attack in November by the FARC that wounded Americans in Bogota’s restaurant district; and attacks in November and December utilizing antitank rockets. Both FARC and the ELN continued attacks against the country’s infrastructure and oil pipelines in 2003, albeit at reduced levels. Many more attacks were thwarted nationwide through excellent intelligence and security work.

[Continued in next post]

[RPankn]

In 2003, President Uribe increased military pressure on illegal armed groups and implemented an ambitious national security strategy including securing passage of antiterrorism legislation, promoting the desertion and reintegration of former illegal armed militants, and engaging the AUC in demobilization negotiations. President Uribe submitted to Congress two important draft laws with significant public security implications -- the Antiterrorism Bill and a Conditional Parole Bill. The Anti-Terrorism Bill was approved by Congress on 10 December and allows the Government to conduct wiretaps, search residences, and detain suspects more easily. The conditional parole legislation is connected to the broader peace process and would provide the Government the means to waive prison sentences in exchange for demobilization. Through legislation and with possible US assistance, the Government of Colombia expected the voluntary surrender of more than 4,000 illegal armed militants in 2003 (an increase of 84 percent over 2002) and the demobilization in December of some 1,000 paramilitaries with more planned for 2004.

Overall, Colombia’s ambitious security strategy produced substantial achievements in 2003. Murders decreased by 16 percent, assassinations of trade unionists were down 68 percent, and kidnappings were 30 percent lower in 2003. The military completed the early phases of its national defense plan with significant successes, including the killing of at least five midlevel FARC commanders in Cundinamarca Department near Bogota. In January 2004, the most senior FARC official ever to be captured was detained by Ecuadorian National Police in Quito and deported to Colombia. Another major accomplishment was the restoration of a Government presence in every one of the country’s 1,098 municipalities (county seats) by the end of 2003.

Colombia cooperated fully in blocking terrorist assets. A Colombian Financial Information and Analysis Unit, created in 2001 following the model of the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Unit (FinCEN), collaborated closely with the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. US Anti-Terrorist Assistance in August inaugurated a school for Colombian military and police who specialize in anti-kidnapping. Kidnappings are sources of revenue for the FARC and the ELN and a means to influence the political process. The Government also took steps at self-improvement by expanding an antiterrorism unit in the Prosecutor General’s Office. Lessons learned in the counternarcotics fight have led to better prosecutions of those who attack the nation’s infrastructure, particularly in oil-producing areas.

Colombia made significant strides in combating narcotrafficking, a primary source of revenue for terrorist organizations. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that coca cultivation could be reduced by aerial eradication as much as 50 percent in 2003. Eradication programs targeting coca and opium poppies continued throughout the year. In August, the United States resumed the Air Bridge Denial Program that assists Colombia in intercepting aircraft trafficking in narcotics and illegal weapons.

Colombia was particularly cooperative in cases and investigations involving Americans, such as the hostage taking of Defense Department civilian contractors in February and the grenade attack in Bogota in December . The US-Colombia extradition relationship continues to be one of the most successful in the world; Colombia extradited 67 persons to the United States in 2003. In May 2003, Colombia extradited Nelson Vargas Rueda, the first FARC member to be extradited to the United States. Vargas is accused of the kidnapping and murder of three American NGO activists working with Colombian indigenous groups in northern Colombia in 1999. Colombia also extradited Gerardo Herrera Iles, accused of kidnapping foreign and US oil workers, to the United States in 2003.

Colombia has signed eight of the international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism and is a party to six.

These photos were included with the story to fill a column where the Venezuelan side of the report left off but the Colombian part continued. But I had to attach them here because this man has more spine than the Senate Democrats, the DNC, the DLC and most of the House Democrats, combined.

Hugo Chavez Frias











Link: www.vheadline.com/printer_news.asp?id=20963