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May 17, 2008 12:51:40 AM CDT

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Venezuela Tried to Arm FARC, Colombia Says  

Posted Mar 30, 08 3:07 PM CDT in World    Editor's Choice

(newser) – Colombian officials claim to have computer files captured from its FARC rebels that indicate Venezuela sold arms to the terrorist group, the New York Times reports. If Interpol verifies the files, they would also suggest links between FARC and Ecuador’s government and provide insight into the rebel organization. Colombia nabbed the computers in a raid in Ecuador earlier this month.

One letter apparently from a FARC leader said a top Venezuelan official “left with the pledge of bringing an arms dealer;” while another seems to describe a spy's murder. The files have authentic touches, the Times notes, including rebel jargon and code. But Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez ridiculed them and Colombia’s leaders, saying “This computer is like à la carte service, giving you whatever you want.”

Source New York Times

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Venezuela Tried to Arm FARC, Colombia Says
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa gestures during a speech from the Government Palace balcony in Quito, Thursday, March 27, 2008. Correa received campaign funds from FARC, say unverified documents.   (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
Venezuela Tried to Arm FARC, Colombia Says
Francisco Santos Calderon, Vice-President of Colombia, at the UN, Monday, March 3, 2008. Santos says captured computer files suggest a risk to Colombia's stability.   (AP Photo/Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi)
Venezuela Tried to Arm FARC, Colombia Says
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez waves as he arrives at the Air Base in Recife, state of Pernambuco, Brazil, Wednesday, March 26, 2008.   (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
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Venezuela  • computer  • Colombia  • FARC  • Ecuador  • Rafael Correa  • Colombian rebels


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