Colombia Passport

The article by WSJ’s journalist Mary Anastasia O’Grady, “The FARC’s Ecuadorean Friends” published on June 22, attracted the attention and wrath of Ecuadorean president Rafeal Correa. The reason is understandable: O’Grady takes the Colombian position that the Correa government is friendly with the Farc because of evidence allegedly found on the late Reyes’ computer. President Correa reacted strongly against this claim to the media and The Wall Street Journal. He accused the American newspaper of a campaign of disinformation orchestrated by Colombia against Ecuador.

The conflict between the two Andean nations sparked by the incident where the Colombian military trespassed onto Ecuadorian territory to attack  a Farc camp is already more than a year old. However diplomatic ties between the two countries remain severed.

On first of March 2008 the Colombian army launched military operation “Operación Fénix” for the “Angosturas Bombing”, in order to capture the second strongest leader of the Communist insurgency of the Farc, Luis Edgar Devia Silva, better known by his nom de guerre as Raúl Reyes

The Farc camp was in the southern border of Colombia with Ecuador, separated by the Putumayo River and near to Santa Rosa de Yanamaru in the Ecuadorian province of Sucumbíos. The Colombian bombing of the Farc camp caused the dead of 22 persons, including Reyes, 4 Mexican students and an Ecuadorian citizen, Franklin Aisalla.

The Reyes computers

The military incursion into Ecuador was denounced by Rafael Correa’s government as a violation of national sovereignty. Tensions between the two countries increased in the following months, including an active participation of Venezuela and Nicaragua to produce the so called “Andean Crisis”. The Organization of the American States (OAS), ruled that the Colombian military incursion was a violation of international law.

But the last straw came were “Reyes computers” that were found by the troops in the camp. They have become a main instrument of possible accusations, not only to link several personalities to the Farc, but also foreign governments accused of supporting the Farc such as Ecuador and Venezuela.

The Colombian government asked the International Police (Interpol), to evaluate the veracity of the computers. Three technicians from South Korea, Singapore and Australia analyzed the data in order to prove their authenticity. The general secretary of Interpol, Ronald Kenneth, declared on 15th May 2008 that the information on the computers had not been tampered with.

“The Interpol investigation team did not find any alteration, modification or deletion of any of the 8 pieces of evidence”, said Kenneth in a press conference in Bogotá at the date.

It’s one thing to prove that the computers were authentic and that they were not tampered with by Colombian officials; it’s another thing is to prove that the information on those computers is true, partially true or not true at all. That is work for the Colombian authorities and itthat should be the work of the Ecuadorian and Venezuelan authorities, since the information involves their respective governments.

“That is false!” What is false?

Quito and Caracas have continuously denied the veracity of the information on Reyes’ computers and have underlined that it is “fabricated evidence” from Álvaro Uribe’s government to cause conflict and hide their own domestic scandals – such as Para-politics (involvement of political leaders with the Paramilitary groups.) Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez also blanmed the CIA for what he said was manipulated content and condemned Interpol’s investigation.

According to what has been revealed from the Reyes’ computers, both Caracas and Quito have had strategic military and political relations with Farc.

Therefore, the WSJ article rubs salt in their wounds and the reaction of Correa follows the same patterns as previous reactions. He accused the WSJ of basing their information on evidence that he considered tainted and an act of aggression against Ecuador.

“Se ha mandado una carta por Cancillería al Wall Street para que rectifique la información, o en caso contrario demandaremos al Wall Street, porque ya basta de tanta mentira”

“A letter was sent by the Chancellor to The Wall Street so that the information can be rectified, otherwise we will sue The Wall Street, because we have had enough of so many lies,” said the President in his weekly TV program.

However, any evidence that the information in the computers is false has not been provided by Quito or Caracas. Instead the two governments have maintained agressive stances that even threaten the media, while continually condemning the Colombian decision to crossed into Ecuadorean territory.

The article of WSJ

O’Grady compares Correa with Fidel Castro and describes the evidence on Reyes’ computers that associated his government with the Farc, for example letters to late Farc commander Manuel Marulanda and possible military agreements between the Ecuadorean government and the insurgents.

“He also reported that Ecuador “would sue Colombia in international court for the damages caused by fumigating” the coca crops and revoke the license for the U.S. military base at Manta. (Ecuador did both.) Ecuador “has made it clear that Uribe represents the interests of the White House, the multinationals and the oligarchs and considers him dangerous to the region,” writes O’Grady.