U.S. Republican vice-presidential nominee, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (L) meets Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe at the Colombian mission residence in New York September 23, 2008. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
The Chavez government assisted Marxist FARC and ETA terrorist groups in a plot to murder popular Columbian President Alvaro Uribe.
The BBC reported:
A Spanish judge has accused the Venezuelan government of assisting two rebel groups which plotted to kill Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe.
Judge Eloy Velasco charged six members of Basque separatist group Eta and seven members of Colombian rebel group Farc with various offences.
He said he believed Farc had asked for Eta’s help in a plot to kill Colombian officials in Spain, including Mr Uribe.
He said the two groups benefited from “Venezuelan government co-operation”.
In a 26-page indictment Mr Velasco said an investigation launched in 2008 has turned up evidence “that demonstrates Venezuelan governmental co-operation in the illicit collaboration between Farc and Eta”.
El Universal has more on the crime.
The judge pointed to ETA suspect Arturo Cubillas Fontán, who is married to a Venezuelan citizen who has held several government posts in Venezuela since Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999. Cubillas Fontán was appointed in 2005 as director at the Office of Management and Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands in Venezuela.
Velasco prosecuted seven alleged members of FARC and six alleged ETA members, including Cubillas Fontán, for conspiracy to commit murder in Spain against Uribe, Pastrana and other top Colombian officials.
The Spanish judge said that Cubillas Fontán is “responsible” for the ETA group in that region of the hemisphere since 1999. He is the link between ETA and the FARC.
Velasco also charged alleged ETA suspects José Ignacio Echarte Urbieta, Ignacio DomÃnguez Achalandabaso, José MarÃa Zaldua, José Angel Urtiaga MartÃnez and José Miguel Arrugaeta San Emeterio with the crimes of possession of explosives.
He also charged suspect FARC members Emiro del Carmen Ropero, Remedios GarcÃa, Luciano MartÃn, Omar Arturo Zabala, Ramón Vargas, Victor Salazar and Edgar Gustavo Navarro Morales and their so-called “foreign Minister” Rodrigo Granda with collaboration with terrorist groups.
The defendants have been accused of several crimes, including conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, possession of explosives and collaboration with terrorist groups.
Pro-American capitalist Alvaro Uribe has an 80% approval rating in Colombia. Uribe’s father was killed by FARC terrorists.
Neoavatara has more on this troubling international development including information that ETA members had received training in FARC rebel camps.
