Chavez theater
Photo from Reuters
As I predicted last week, FARC’s hand-over of their hostages ochestrated by Hugo Chavez has failed – and it’s Columbian president Uribes’ fault (if you listen to Chavez, FARC and Oliver Stone). From the Miami Herald this morning;
The plan to secure the release of three hostages held by Marxist rebels crumbled on Monday after President Alvaro Uribe said that intelligence information suggests that the youngest of the captives — a 3-year-old boy — may have been released more than two years ago and living with a foster family.
The revelation came amid Venezuela’s accusations that Uribe’s government had been interfering with the hand-over plan, dubbed ”Operation Emmanuel,” after the alleged captive toddler.
The Herald calls it a “surprising twist”, but its really not surprising at all – Chavez and FARC have been dangling this in front of the media for months and the reason it hadn’t happened was because FARC and Chavez both need this drama play – and they both need it to continue and they both need the continuance blamed on Uribe for political and media points.
Sunday, Daniel at Venezuela News and Views wrote;
Chavez declarations are even becoming indecent, inappropriate, vulgar. I heard him for example declare that in spite of all the falling out with Uribe (“platos rotos†broken dishes) if this one would allow him he would jump in a plane and fly over to Colombia to retrieve the hostages himself. But do not be fooled in thinking that maybe it is just Chavez high on something. No, it is a well concerted propaganda effort. These days watching the Venezuelan state TV one assists at a full fledged viva Chavez show. We have reached now such a crescendo over that that now the FARC have become guerilla victims of Colombian aristocracy. Never mind that Uribe was reelected with more than 60% of the votes. And we hear such incongruities as Isturiz speaking of a certain guerilla as been “an excellent guerilla†(excelente guerillero). No, I am not making this up. How do you rate such a guerilla? Kills only cops? Sends flowers on Mother’s day? Is from the FARC rather than the ELN? Feeds his hostages?
Even to Venezuelans, who are treated to Chavez bizarre behavior daily, he’s really outdone himself with this one. At The Devil’s Excrement, some history of FARC’s hostage politics;
As I have suggested before there is no reason for this to be so complicated, but the diverging goals of those involved: Chavez, Uribe and the FARC made it complex as each group wants the other to look bad. What is a mystery is why the FARC have so far left Chavez out in the cold each time he has tried to mediate the handover of some hostages. In the past, the FARC has broken truces with the Colombian Government, failed to return hostages when promised and once killed eleven Deputies who were in captivity and were supposed to be about to be returned. The Colombian Government recently released the Foreign Minister of the FARC to the French Government as a goodwill gesture. There has been no reciprocal gesture from the FARC, who had only agreed to release these three hostages, two women and a kid, despite having thousands of hostages in their hands.
The Herald writes that the changeover went sour before Uribe made his comment;
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez — who is serving as the key mediator between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and the Colombian government — said he received a letter from the rebels saying that military operations in the jungle region where they are hiding the hostages made the hand-off impossible.
Uribe dismissed the FARC claim as a lie, saying his government would permit a cease-fire corridor to let the rebels turn over the long-held captives.
”The FARC terrorist group doesn’t have any excuse,” Uribe said from the central Colombian city of Villavicencio, which had served as the base for coordination efforts. `They’ve fooled Colombia and now they want to fool the international community.’
Can you guess which side Oliver Stone takes?
”Shame on Colombia, shame on Uribe,” Oliver Stone, the American filmmaker, told The AP shortly before boarding one of three Venezuelan jets carrying the observers back to Caracas.
I’m sure if he tries hard enough, Stone can blame President Bush, too.
Category: Foreign Policy, Hugo Chavez, Politics
Shame on Colombia for what? For demanding that another party –even if they are terrorists– keep to their word? Shame on Uribe for what? For demonstrating to the world that the FARC are in fact liars and terrorists using the hostages as political pawns and that Chávez is their little lackey?
Please, give me a break. Oliver Stone isn’t even a useful idiot. He’s just an idiot.
Jonn wrote: I don’t know which is worse – that Stone thinks he has something to contribute or that the media thought we’d be interested in his deep thoughts.Â
I really think Oliver Stone has become a Chavez sympathizer. As a matter of fact, maybe Chavez should give him permanent citizenship in Venezula and ship his film equipment to him. Lets see how much freedom will he have there. Chavez is a liar just like the FARC! I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the leader of the FARC with his bizarre behavior and poorly executed antics. Personally Chavez should be listed as a terrorist leader and jailed. Back to Oliver Stone, we should ban him from re-entering the United States. I’m no longer a fan to Oliver Stone and will spread the word to boycott any releases of his movie!!!!!!!! I will also, like to tell US citizens to stop buying gas from Citco!!!!!!!!!!! to hell with Chavez and FARC……Long live freedom and Peace to all man-kind.