Barry Stoller
Fri, 18 Jan 2002 13:54:24 -0800
AP. 18 January 2002. Colombian Rebels Accused of Continuing Attacks While Peace Talks Proceed. LOS POZOS -- Foreign diplomats met with Colombian rebel leaders Friday to hammer out a timeline for peace talks, while government officials assessed the damage from a wave of guerrilla attacks. The government blamed the FARC for bombings Thursday night that shut down an oil pipeline, downed power lines in three states and closed a bridge, isolating four towns inside the rebel-held area in southern Colombia. Meanwhile, police announced the arrest of an alleged FARC leader, Samuel Galvis, in connection with the kidnapping and murder of former culture minister Consuelo Araujo in September. Separately, a 50-member delegation from the U.S. activist organization Witness for Peace was in Bogota on Friday to examine the American government's role in Colombia's conflict. The United States is providing millions of dollars in mostly military aid to help Colombia battle drug production and trafficking, which in some cases is controlled by leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries. The U.S. aid is restricted to counterdrug efforts, though Colombian officials have said they will ask to be allowed to use U.S. military equipment and specially trained troops against the guerrillas. "We're disturbed by the use our anti-drug rhetoric as a cover for killing guerrillas, or other folks," said delegation spokeswoman Michelle Tooley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews