Chavez’ bad luck continues

Photo from AFP

A Colombian police officer keeps watch on the San Miguel international bridge linking Ecuador and Colombia.

The comedy that is South American politics this week is continuing. Martha Colmenares, a Venezuelan blogger writes that files that the Colombian Government found on the computer belonging to the pieces of Raul Reyes indicate that the FARC supports the Obama campaign. (Translation from Gateway Pundit and Free Republic);

6. The gringos will ask for an appointment with the minister to solicit him to communicate to us his interest in discussing these topics. They say that the new president of their country will be Obama and that they are interested in your compatriots. Obama will not support “Plan Colombia” nor will he sign the TLC (Colombian Free Trade agreement). Here we responded that we are interested in relations with all governments in equality of conditions and that in the case of the US it is required a public pronouncement expressing their interest in talking with the FARC given their eternal war against us.

This on the heels of reports that Chavez has either promised or delivered $300 million to FARC recently(Gateway Pundit link).

The slow-moving debating society called the Organization of American States which has trouble stepping on anyone’s toes can’t agree to the wording of a statement on the escalating conflict between Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia, according to the Associated Press.

In the meantime, Fausta’s Blog reports that Chavez cuts off his nose to spite his face by turning back food shipments to Venezuela from Colombia (Colombia is Venezuela’s largest importer of foodstuffs) which exasperates the severe food shortages already experienced in Venezuelan urban centers.

Daniel at Venezuela News and Views reflects Venezuelan’s worry over this war;

Because [this] is the real mood here, the real war, how to find ALL the basic food staples that you need and that are imported in increasing amounts. A couple of mines dropped by Colombia in front of Puerto Cabello and La Guaira and in a few weeks we are all starving.

Quico at Caracas Chronicles mentions that Chavez’ mobilization ran into problems yesterday on the road to the frontier;

Two days ago, President Chávez ordered 10 mechanized batallions to the border in preparation for who-knows-what…but the mobilizations from Caracas ended up getting delayed yesterday because taxi drivers in La Victoria blocked the strategically critical Central Regional Highway for seven hours as they protested the crime wave that grips their town.

Meanwhile, Rafael Correa, president of Ecuador, is pestering other South American nations by jetting around on Burro One (AP link);

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa began a six-nation tour in Peru and Brazil, calling Colombian President Alvaro Uribe a liar who “wanted war.” Correa warned that if the attack goes unpunished, “the region will be in danger, because the next victim could be Peru, it could be Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, any one of our countries.”

Not if they’re not providing a safe haven for terrorists – I doubt Colombia has any interest in any of those nations. Correa loses sight of his own malfeasance causing this dilemma in the first place.

And that’s the whole problem – Chavez saw FARC as a way to keep the region unstable and to ensconce himself more firmly in power in Venezuela and in the community of South American nations. The Uribe government has drawn back the blinds and Chavez’ spate of bad luck continues.

UPDATE: Babalu Blog links to a Brazilian blog’s (Wickets and Guayaba) report that Brazil is selling arms to Chavez – so Lula has chosen sides.

Category: Foreign Policy, Hugo Chavez