>From: "Jon Corlett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:@tonto.eunet.fi;> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Elimination of the exploitation of man by man! >Yours in solidarity >Per Rasmussen >Denmark > > WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE ON THE AMERICAS > ISSUE #520, JANUARY 16, 2000 > NICARAGUA SOLIDARITY NETWORK OF GREATER NEW YORK >339 LAFAYETTE ST., NEW YORK, NY 10012 (212) 674-9499 > > >*2. US ANNOUNCES COLOMBIA AID PACKAGE > >On Jan. 11, US president Bill Clinton announced a $1.3 billion >two-year aid package which he said would "assist Colombia in >vital counter-drug efforts aimed at keeping illegal drugs off our >shores." The aid, said Clinton, "will also help Colombia promote >peace and prosperity and deepen its democracy." The package >primarily includes military and security assistance, which human >rights groups warn will fuel Colombia's counterinsurgency war, >involve the US further, and undermine current peace negotiations. >[US/Colombia Coordinating Office Alert 1/11/00; Clinton Statement >1/11/00] > >Clinton's two-year package works out to more aid per year than a >similar proposal which conservative Republican senators >introduced last October for $1.635 billion over three years [see >Update #509]. [New York Times 1/12/00] The Clinton administration >followed up on its proposal with an unusual high-level visit to >Colombia Jan. 14-15 by US secretary of state Madeleine Albright >for discussions with President Andres Pastrana Arango. She was >also scheduled to visit Panama briefly on Jan. 14 and Mexico on >Jan. 15. [Washington Post 1/15/00] > >Colombia's military and police are already the world's third- >largest recipients of U.S. assistance, with arms and training >growing from about $65 million in 1996 to nearly $300 million in >1999. Until 1999, US support went primarily to the Colombian >police; this changed with a number of military aid initiatives, >including the creation of a new counternarcotics battalion within >the Colombian Army. In a statement, Amnesty International USA >(AIUSA) came out strongly against Clinton's aid proposal. There >is "extensive collusion between the Colombian Army and the >[rightwing[ paramilitaries," Carlos Salinas, AIUSA Advocacy >Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, noted. "As long as >Colombian paramilitary groups allied with the Colombian Army >continue to commit massacres and other serious human rights >violations, US military aid to Colombia is tantamount to >underwriting the Colombian `dirty war,'" Salinas said. [AIUSA >press release 1/11/00] > >In related news, US-based Sikorsky Aircraft has won a $51.1 >million contract modification to build an additional five UH-60L >Black Hawk helicopters for the Colombian Air Force. The company >previously received a contract to build three aircraft for the >Colombian police. [Jane's Defence Weekly 1/5/00] > >Meanwhile, the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia >(FARC) ended a 20-day unilateral ceasefire on Jan. 10, and >resumed peace negotiations with the government on Jan. 13. Three >police agents reportedly died during an attack the FARC launched >in Narino department when the ceasefire ended on Jan. 10. >According to Caracol radio, 11 rebels, two soldiers and one >police agents reportedly died in fighting on Jan. 15 in >Guayabetal, 50 km southeast of Bogota. [CNN en Espanol 1/9/00 >with info from AP; Hoy (NY) 1/14/00 from AP; El Diario-La Prensa >(NY) 1/16/00 from EFE] In a Jan. 10 statement, the FARC insisted >that it had observed the ceasefire, contradicting allegations >made on Jan. 6 by army commander Jorge Mora, who said the FARC >"continued killing soldiers and unarmed civilians and >blackmailing Colombians" during the 20-day period. [FARC >communique 1/10/00; AFP 1/7/00] > >*3. COLOMBIAN REFUGEES STILL HOLDING RED CROSS OFFICE > >A group of desplazados (internal refugees forced from their homes >by political violence) who are occupying the Bogota offices of >the International Committee of the Red Cross (CICR) [see Update >#519] presented a list of six demands on Jan. 11 and called for >the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights to >mediate the talks between the protesters and the government. The >protesters are demanding 50 million pesos (about $26,000) for >each displaced family, as well as solutions to such problems as >the lack of housing, medical care and education. Negotiator >Guillermo Casasbuenas, deputy director of the Solidarity Network, >the Colombian government agency that deals with the desplazados, >said the amount of money is impossible and that in any case, "the >logic of giving away money never works." The Solidarity Network >currently gives about 3 million pesos ($1,500) to each refugee >family. [El Nuevo Herald 1/12/00 from AP] > >*4. COLOMBIA: EMBERA REACH CAPITAL, GOVERNMENT SUSPENDS TALKS > >The Colombian government has suspended dialogue with a group of >168 Embera Katio (also called Ebera) people who have been camped >out in the garden of the Environment Ministry building since >shortly after their arrival in Bogota on Dec. 14. Their march to >Bogota began on Dec. 1, nearly 900 kilometers away in Tierralta, >Cordoba department; they are seeking solutions to a conflict over >the Urra hydroelectric project which will flood Embera land and >displace a number of communities [see Update #514]. They were >initially joined by 21 members of ASPROCIG, an association of >fisherpeople whose livelihood is threatened by the dam, but the >government apparently reached some kind of agreement with the >fishers. Meanwhile, on Dec. 25, one of the Embera protesters gave >birth to her baby daughter in the garden. [El Colombiano >(Medellin) 12/14/99; Inter Press Service 12/31/99; Communique >from Cabildos Mayores Embera Katio de los Rios Sinu y Verde >Embera Katio 12/13/99, 12/17/99, 12/27/99, 1/6/00] > >In a Jan. 6 communique, Embera Katio indigenous leaders condemned >the unilateral suspension by the government of the dialogue which >had begun on Dec. 30. "We don't understand the Environment >Minister's reasons for leaving the dialogue table and breaking >the commitment he signed on Dec. 17," wrote the Embera Councils >of the Verde and Sinu Rivers, referring to Environment Minister >Juan Mayr. According to the communique, the government suspended >the talks on Jan. 5 on the pretext that the Embera marchers had >broken a wall in the garden of the Environment Ministry building. >The Embera suggest that they had to dismantle the wall to avoid >being severely flooded on a cold and rainy day, and said that in >any case they will fix the wall before they leave. They also >questioned why the government had sent someone on Jan. 3 to >profess great concern for the protesters' health and the >humanitarian conditions of their encampment, and to say that >therefore the government did not want to hold further talks until >the Embera leave the garden. "Why are they concerned now and not >before?" asked the Embera leaders. "Why do they change their word >or the rules of the game? ... We are here and we want to keep >negotiating." [Embera Communique 1/6/00] > >In a Jan. 8 communique, the Embera leaders contradicted press >reports that talks had been renewed. The government, they said, >has "transported comfortably from Tierra Alta our Embera brothers >who defend Urra, and for whom money is more important than >territory, thought and culture. They have set them up in >comfortable hotels and they have rapidly called them to a meeting >to hear them repeat what we had already heard from Minister Mayr >himself and from the Empresa Urra S.A." Despite the government's >attitude, the Embera insist, "We maintain our disposition to >dialogue." [Embera Communique 1/8/00] > >After exhausting all legal appeals through the Colombian court >system, on Dec. 10 the Embera had filed a formal request with the >Inter-American Human Rights Commission, asking it to investigate >what they say is the Colombian government's violation of their >human rights. The International Labor Organization (ILO) is also >investigating the Embera case, to determine whether the Colombian >government is violating ILO convention 169, concerning the rights >of indigenous people. [Embera communique 12/18/99] A backlash >came on Dec. 19 when the rightwing Bogota daily El Espectador >published an editorial suggesting that indigenous communities >have no "veto rights" over "common interests," and that the Urra >dam should just be filled as quickly as possible to end the >debate, regardless of whether people who are living in the areas >to be flooded will be killed. [EE 12/19/99] > >Letters demanding that the government immediately suspend the >filling of the Urra dam and resume dialogue with the Embera >Greater Councils can be sent to Environment Minister Juan Mayr >Maldonado (fax +571-288-9788 or 288-9892 or by email to ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) and President Andres Pastrana Arango (by >fax to +571-284-2186, 289-3377 or 286-7434 or by email to ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) The Embera can be reached at ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; for more information see >http://www.gratisweb.com/embera_katio/index.htm. > >*5. COLOMBIA: U'WA STILL OCCUPY DRILL SITE > >Some 200 U'wa protesters are continuing to occupy a site in >northeastern Colombia where the Los Angeles-based oil giant >Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) is planning to drill its first >test well. Thousands more U'wa and supporters are ready to join >the encampment at the first sign of activity. An Oxy spokesperson >told the British news agency Reuters on Dec. 6 that the company >is set to begin building roads to the proposed drill site and >could sink the first test well in May. [Rainforest Action Network >1/8/00; Reuters 1/6/00] > >A coalition of human rights and environmental groups sent a >letter in December to the Boston-based financial giant Fidelity >Investments, warning that it will be held accountable for Oxy's >actions in Colombia. The letter gave Fidelity a deadline of March >1 to either convince Oxy to cancel the project, or dump its >shares. > >Fidelity controls more than 30 million Oxy shares, valued at >about $700 million. Fidelity's stake in Oxy rises and falls from >quarter to quarter, but it is always among the top three >shareholders, controlling between 8% and 12% of the oil company. >Fidelity's parent company, Fidelity Research and Management >Corporation (FMR corp), is the world's largest investment >management organization and the world's second largest discount >stockbroker. The Rainforest Action Network is urging people to >support the U'wa by organizing vigils, demonstrations or direct >actions at Fidelity offices around the world on Feb. 3, and write >or call Fidelity Chairman and CEO Edward C. Johnson III (fax >617-476-4164, phone 800-544-6666). [RAN 1/8/00] > >Fidelity was one of several companies targeted by the radical >anarchist "black bloc" of individuals who engaged in window- >smashing and other acts of sabotage against corporations on Nov. >30 in Seattle, while tens of thousands of people were shutting >down the meetings of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with >nonviolent civil disobedience actions [see Update #514]. Fidelity >is named in a communique issued by the saboteurs as "the bane of >the U'wa." ["A Communique from One Section of the Black Bloc of >N30 in Seattle," posted on the internet 12/4/99] > >======================================================================= >Weekly News Update on the Americas * Nicaragua Solidarity Network of NY >339 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012 * 212-674-9499 fax: 212-674-9139 >http://home.earthlink.net/~dbwilson/wnuhome.html * [EMAIL PROTECTED] >======================================================================= > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Was the salesman clueless? 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