Montag
03-08-2008, 03:23 PM
Latin American Governments Condemn Colombian Attacks, Defend Territorial Sovereignty
March 07, 2008 By James Suggett
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/3229
excerpt:
(Caracas) Latin American governments and regional organizations declared support for Ecuadorian national sovereignty and regional unity, and widely condemned the assault by Colombian armed forces on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Ecuadorian territory early Saturday morning, which resulted in the deaths of 16 insurgents, among them Raúl Reyes, a top level FARC leader and diplomat.
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa made a televised appeal Sunday for international solidarity with Ecuador in the wake of Colombia's "planned aerial attack" and subsequent "unacceptable aggression" perpetrated by 60 Colombian ground troops "with full conscience that they were violating our sovereignty."
Correa informed the press that he had already spoken with the leaders of over a dozen Latin American nations, the Organization of American States, and Spain to "impede the internationalization of the conflict in Colombia" and to reiterate the gravity of what he said was the worst act of aggression that the Uribe administration has inflicted on Ecuador.
Investigations conducted by Ecuadorian military and government officials "confirmed irrefutably" that the attack was a premeditated "massacre" that penetrated up to 10 kilometers of Ecuadorian territory, Correa announced.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Colombian Foreign Secretary Fernando Araújo, gave a different account and claimed that Colombian helicopters flying in southern Colombia were fired upon from inside Ecuadorian territory, justifying the attack, which they claimed was an act of "legitimate defense" conducted from within Colombian territory.
However, Correa said there is no justification for foreign military aggression in Ecuadorian territory, and Colombia's "mockery of the truth and of the Ecuadorian people" has violated bilateral treaties and international law, "but most of all, the respect and trust that should exist between brotherly countries."
Colombian Foreign Secretary Araújo appealed to the government of Ecuador to consider the attack as a defense of both countries against the "terrorists" who were illegally taking refuge in foreign territory and causing harm to local populations.
In response, Correa declared that "Colombia is a sovereign nation, and so are we, and international law demands that they inform us, and that it be the public forces of Ecuador which carry out the capture, as has occurred on multiple occasions in the past, always with absolute respect for human rights," and reiterated that Ecuador does not support the FARC and disapproves of the insurgent's "actions and methods".
Ecuadorian Ambassador to Venezuela René Vargas Pazzo declared on the Venezuelan government television channel (VTV) that Colombia's attack on the sleeping guerrilla encampment had "no military justification," and that it was rather "a provocation by people or governments who do not want peace, who do not want integration, who want war and that is the path that all South American must oppose, all Latin Americans who want peace, union, and integration."
The Andean Parliament, a diplomatic organization of the community of Andean nations, echoed Pazzo's analysis, asserting that Colombia's military apparatus is being manipulated in the interests of the Pentagon, and that the violations of trust by Colombian officials impede "the creation of unity among southern peoples."
The attacks were "at odds with the most elemental principles of International Humanitarian Law," according to the Latin American Association for Human Rights (ALDHU), a 28 year-old international NGO based in Ecuador that works with over 20 nations and is a principle component of the Andean Parliament. Juan de Dios Parra, the general secretary of ALDHU, called the events an "invasion" and a "massacre" which "violated all the international norms regulating the respect for borders".
March 07, 2008 By James Suggett
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/3229
excerpt:
(Caracas) Latin American governments and regional organizations declared support for Ecuadorian national sovereignty and regional unity, and widely condemned the assault by Colombian armed forces on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Ecuadorian territory early Saturday morning, which resulted in the deaths of 16 insurgents, among them Raúl Reyes, a top level FARC leader and diplomat.
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa made a televised appeal Sunday for international solidarity with Ecuador in the wake of Colombia's "planned aerial attack" and subsequent "unacceptable aggression" perpetrated by 60 Colombian ground troops "with full conscience that they were violating our sovereignty."
Correa informed the press that he had already spoken with the leaders of over a dozen Latin American nations, the Organization of American States, and Spain to "impede the internationalization of the conflict in Colombia" and to reiterate the gravity of what he said was the worst act of aggression that the Uribe administration has inflicted on Ecuador.
Investigations conducted by Ecuadorian military and government officials "confirmed irrefutably" that the attack was a premeditated "massacre" that penetrated up to 10 kilometers of Ecuadorian territory, Correa announced.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Colombian Foreign Secretary Fernando Araújo, gave a different account and claimed that Colombian helicopters flying in southern Colombia were fired upon from inside Ecuadorian territory, justifying the attack, which they claimed was an act of "legitimate defense" conducted from within Colombian territory.
However, Correa said there is no justification for foreign military aggression in Ecuadorian territory, and Colombia's "mockery of the truth and of the Ecuadorian people" has violated bilateral treaties and international law, "but most of all, the respect and trust that should exist between brotherly countries."
Colombian Foreign Secretary Araújo appealed to the government of Ecuador to consider the attack as a defense of both countries against the "terrorists" who were illegally taking refuge in foreign territory and causing harm to local populations.
In response, Correa declared that "Colombia is a sovereign nation, and so are we, and international law demands that they inform us, and that it be the public forces of Ecuador which carry out the capture, as has occurred on multiple occasions in the past, always with absolute respect for human rights," and reiterated that Ecuador does not support the FARC and disapproves of the insurgent's "actions and methods".
Ecuadorian Ambassador to Venezuela René Vargas Pazzo declared on the Venezuelan government television channel (VTV) that Colombia's attack on the sleeping guerrilla encampment had "no military justification," and that it was rather "a provocation by people or governments who do not want peace, who do not want integration, who want war and that is the path that all South American must oppose, all Latin Americans who want peace, union, and integration."
The Andean Parliament, a diplomatic organization of the community of Andean nations, echoed Pazzo's analysis, asserting that Colombia's military apparatus is being manipulated in the interests of the Pentagon, and that the violations of trust by Colombian officials impede "the creation of unity among southern peoples."
The attacks were "at odds with the most elemental principles of International Humanitarian Law," according to the Latin American Association for Human Rights (ALDHU), a 28 year-old international NGO based in Ecuador that works with over 20 nations and is a principle component of the Andean Parliament. Juan de Dios Parra, the general secretary of ALDHU, called the events an "invasion" and a "massacre" which "violated all the international norms regulating the respect for borders".