If Hugo Chávez has his way it will be all smiles, back-slapping and bear hugs when he meets his pro-US Colombian counterpart, �lvaro Uribe, for talks, as expected, later this month.
Following the spectacular rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other high-profile hostages last week from the hands of the Farc, Colombia's leftwing guerrilla movement, the Venezuelan lead-er said his country too was celebrating. "I called Uribe last night and congratulated him. We are even happier because not one drop of blood was spilled." [...]
The desertion of Nelly Avila Moreno, aka "Karina", a renowned Farc commander, is a case in point. She surrendered in March, saying she had not been in touch with the Farc high command for more than two years, and urged others to follow suit. "I think she . . . was almost starved to death by the Colombian military's ability to narrow her range of operations," says Peter DeShazo, director of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read the article
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