businessresources.smh.com.au By Alex Lawler March 8 2003

OPEC, which pumps a third of the world's oil, may struggle to lower prices from among the highest levels in 12 years as the threat of war with Iraq builds and members near their limit for output.

Ministers meeting in Vienna on Tuesday would probably approve a plan backed by Saudi Arabia to pump as much oil as possible should a war disrupt supply from Iraq, the third-largest Middle East producer, officials and analysts said.

Oil prices last week reached the highest since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 and touched $US39.99 a barrel in New York, raising fuel costs and threatening to stunt economic growth. Only Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have the capacity to refill US inventories, which set a 28-year low last month.

"There isn't enough OPEC capacity to cover the loss of Iraq," said Leo Drollas, deputy executive director of the Centre for Global Energy Studies in London. "We're entering a probable war with low inventory cover. Prices could go higher still as the war drums beat louder."

Ten OPEC countries set oil-output quotas as a way to control oil prices and supply, and member Iraq has no quota because its sales are under United Nations oversight. The group raised quotas in January and February after exports from Venezuela were crimped by a strike and a colder-than-normal winter raised demand.

Oil ministers will set policy for the second quarter as analysts expect any US-led attack on Iraq, source of 2.5 million barrels a day or 3 per cent of the world's oil, to take place within weeks. Oil demand normally declines after the first quarter because of the northern hemisphere spring.

Indonesia oil minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said OPEC should keep quotas unchanged until the group knows the result of the stand-off between the US and Iraq. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait wanted to raise quotas, he said.

Whether OPEC suspends restraints or not, members are ignoring them. In February, all nations exceeded their output quota except Indonesia and Venezuela, members unable to pump more.

"They already have an informal understanding that everybody should produce as much as they can," said Adam Sieminski, an oil strategist at Deustche Bank. "Probably the best decision that OPEC could make is steady as she goes."

OPEC's oil production rose 6.3 per cent in February, the biggest monthly increase in four years, as output in Venezuela rebounded after the two-month strike and other nations pumped more, a Bloomberg News survey this week showed.

Analysts put OPEC's spare capacity at about 2 million barrels a day, less than Iraq's daily output. Two million barrels is enough to meet daily demand in France, the world's fifth-largest economy. The situation would worsen should Kuwait close oil fields in the event of war. Kuwait, OPEC's sixth-largest producer in February, said this week it would close all northern oil fields if the US attacks neighbouring Iraq to avert damage. The fields produce about 500,000 barrels a day.

Prices might not drop until additional oil from Saudi Arabia reaches consumers and the situation over Iraq becomes clearer, analysts said. Saudi Arabia was already producing about 9 million barrels a day, they said.

"The Saudis have dramatically increased their production," Mr Sieminski said. "That oil should be hitting the markets over the next few weeks, and assuming that things don't go badly in Iraq, we should begin to see inventories building. That should bring prices down."

Executives at companies including BP and Royal Dutch/Shell Group have said they expect a jump in oil prices should the US proceed with an attack on Iraq. Prices in London rallied to $US40.95 during the invasion of Kuwait, and sank to $US16 as the ejection of Iraqi troops neared.

The US and other importing countries hold inventories to alleviate shortages, which may have to be tapped should an attack disrupt Middle East shipments, analysts said.

Bloomberg

www.orlandosentinel.com By Kevin G. Hall | Knight Ridder Newspapers Posted March 7, 2003

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- The presidents of Colombia and Brazil will meet today under heavy U.S. pressure to isolate the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the region's cocaine-financed guerrilla movement that is labeled a terrorist organization by the Bush administration.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe wants Brazil's support for Plan Colombia, a joint U.S.-Colombian military effort to quash cocaine trafficking and the guerrilla groups funded by cocaine.

For Brazil, Latin America's largest and most influential nation, that would mean an end to years of neutrality and an unpopular yielding to Washington's will.

Brazilians are worried about cocaine trafficking in their country, however, and a leader of the FARC -- the guerrilla's group's initials in Spanish -- is thought to have protected Brazil's top trafficker until the trafficker was captured in April 2001.

Uncomfortable with a growing U.S. presence next door in Colombia, Brazil so far has balked at branding the FARC a terrorist organization.

"It is not convenient for Brazil to classify the FARC as terrorist or not," a Brazilian diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Brazil keeps no such list of terrorist groups, so it is not necessary to add them to a list. This could make more difficult future efforts by Brazil to mediate the conflict in Colombia."

Brazil's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is already trying to broker an end to Venezuela's political turmoil, leading a Group of Friends trying to stave off a civil war. A longtime leftist, da Silva and his closest foreign-policy aides feel the previous Brazilian government should have worked to discourage the U.S. military buildup under Plan Colombia.

The United States has spent more than $2 billion since 2001 in military aid to curb cocaine flowing from Colombia, the largest producer of cocaine and grower of coca, the plant from which the narcotic is made. U.S. military advisers are also now training the Colombian military to protect an oil pipeline owned by the U.S. Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Colombia's Ecopetrol.

Uribe, under constant U.S. surveillance because of recent assassination attempts, took office last year promising to wage war on rebels.

On Feb. 13, the FARC downed a small aircraft carrying contract personnel working for the Pentagon. American Thomas Janis of Montgomery, Ala., was executed along with a Colombian pilot. FARC rebels confirm they are holding three Americans working for a division of the U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman.

The FARC announced on its Web site Monday that it would not negotiate with the United States for their release but is willing to negotiate with Uribe's government.

A Colombian diplomat in Brazil, speaking on condition of anonymity, responded, "The door to dialogue [with the FARC] is always open when they show the will for peace by stopping terrorist acts."

The diplomat referred to the Feb. 7 bombing of a chic Bogota nightclub, which killed 35 and injured more than 100. The attack, and several other recent ones, was blamed on the FARC. Guerrillas have responded to the heightened military activity with an urban terror campaign.

www.veninvestor.com

"This revolution is peaceful, but it is not unarmed. The revolution is willing to defend its maxims in any territory. Sirs: I'm staying until the year 2021. Whoever is desperate, well, you'll have to wait a little while. I'm only staying until 2021 and with my sword drawn, I will defend this revolution which is of the sovereign people. Afterwards, I'll hang in a hammock in the plains of Arauca, or here in Punto Fijo, to sing the songs of Ali Primero."    - Hugo Chavez, while visiting a refinery yesterday     Good day,   Opec has a "dirty little secret" according to an analyst interviewed by Dow Jones.  Opec has limited production capacity, and Venezuela is not producing the oil that the government claims. "They can't handle the Venezuelan situation. In spite of claims that production is ramping up, we just haven't seen that," said John Kilduff, an analyst at Fimat USA Inc, that tracks and forecasts oil markets. The problem is "serious enough that it may not be able to keep the world humming at the pace it's accustomed to."  Saudi Arabia's claims that it can meet orders are false, and "[t]he only reassuring statistic is that combined strategic reserves around the world would be enough to put 12 million barrels a day on the market for about 45 days," reports Dow Jones.    The Miami Herald reports that the Venezuelan suicide-bomb suspect arrested last month with a hand grenade after arriving at London's Gatwick airport had "spent time in Afghanistan, Sudan and other countries linked to international terrorism, according to Venezuelan sources close to the investigation." This has "renewed fears not only over security loopholes at Venezuelan airports but the possibility that Islamic terrorist organizations may be using the country as a base" Furthermore, [t]he suspect's travels and known activities are consistent with links to al Qaeda or other extreme Islamic groups, according to specialists in international security issues."  A senior Venezuelan source told the Herald that passport copy showed that Hazil Mohamad Rahaman, 37, had traveled to Yemen, as well as twice, in 2000 and 2001, to Franfurt, Germany, where the World Trade Center attacks were planned, as well as attacks against the US missions in Kenya and Tanzania.  The suspect said that he applied for political asylum in Germany using a false Palestinian id. In addition, the Herald reports that Ramaham disappeared from Caracas three years ago, and then returned on January 20 and stayed in a hotel. "He bought the grenade -- presumably on the black market...for 200,000 bolivares (around $125)."  The grenade was found in his sole luggage, a backpack, that was rejected for its size and had to be checked. "When it was discovered, the grenade was wrapped in aluminum foil inside an infrared massaging device, which in turn was apparently concealed in a lead-lined wooden box." After Sept. 11, according to a former DISIP (secret police) agent, "Washington asked the Venezuelan government to check on the whereabouts of around a dozen terrorist suspects thought to be on Margarita. They were there, the agent said, ``but I've not seen any subsequent action to deal with them.''   Seven US House representatives asked Secretary of State Colin Powell to apply the Inter-American Democratic Charter in the Venezuelan case. (to read the charter, please read www.oas.org)  The letter, written and delivered by Florida Republican Lincoln Díaz-Balart, asks that the secretary of state invoke the charter against Hugo Chavez, given that the government has violated Article 20 of the charter:   The objectives of the programs and actions will be to promote governance, stability, good governance, and the quality of democracy with special preference given to strengthening political institutions and the wide range of social organizations which make up civil society. At the same time, and noting that democracy is not just a juridical structure and a political regime, but a way of life founded on liberty and the constant economic, social, and cultural improvement of its people, such programs will pay similar attention to strengthening a democratic culture and promoting democratic principles and practices and the values of liberty and social justice in child and youth education.   US oil policy featured in news, due to a Senate Democrats report issued yesterday, claiming that even though the Bush administration last year "added 41 million barrels of oil to the reserve, kept in salt domes along the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. energy companies cut back comparably on their own oil inventories, resulting in no net increase in nationwide oil supplies," according to the Washington Post.  In addition, "Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham rejected the notion that the government's decision significantly affected energy prices. He said the amount was too small to have an impact." In "India tanks up on Iraq oil" The Telegraph from Calcutta, India reports: "With no oil being available from nearby Venezuela, US companies had to go farther out to the Gulf and Russia to buy, which meant a higher demand for ships as the cargo had to be carried over longer distances."   Newspapers across the US also offers features describing the plight of Venezuelans, both in Venezuela and the US. The Mercury News and AP offer "Supply Shortages Hit Venezuela Hospitals", Christopher Toothaker reports: " Supply shortages in public hospitals - a problem in this impoverished country for years - have sharpened since President Hugo Chavez imposed strict controls on foreign exchange in January."  The Oklahoman provides the story of a Venezuela couple in "Venezuelan strife gives couple appreciation for U.S. comforts", which reports that "Mike Giordano, 28, remains in Venezuela while his wife, Alison, has returned to Edmond because they're worried about the political chaos gripping the South American nation."  

In local news...

In his customary inflammatory tone, Chavez threatened to "recover" the governships held by opposition leaders. Furthermore, he said he planned to remain in power until 2021. Visiting a refinery, he said that Venezuela is currently producing 2.5 million oil barrels per day. * The commission that will choose 20 candidates for the National Electorate Council was sworn in by the National Assembly board yesterday. The commission includes six government National Assembly reps, five opposition reps, and ten representatives from civil society. * Army General  Raúl Isaías Baduel denied the presence of FARC leaders in Venezuelan territory. * The first bilateral meeting scheduled for today between the government and opposition to debate an electoral solution was postponed until Thursday by the government representatives, due to a prior "commitments.  These bilateral meetings are to replace the negotiations table, which will not meet this week since OAS head Cesar Gaviria is at an "important meeting" in Bolivia. * A fire left 75% of Caracas without electricity for more than 40 minutes yesterday.    Opinions   Today, I've included several opinion articles. As the Venezuelan crisis becomes a global topic and more people realize that Chavez is dragging down the world economy down with him, more editorials slant towards the opposition and the need to remedy the crisis. The International Herald Tribune offers "Chavez is creating a political abyss" by Moises Naim,  who claims that Venezuela "has become a nightmare for its people and a threat not just to its neighbors but to the United States and even Europe." Naim also describes how Venezuela has defied all the assumptions shaped in the 1990's about how how the US could influence any country's politics, and also the precept  "that global economic forces would force democratically elected leaders to pursue responsible economic policies. Yet Chávez, a democratically elected president, has been willing to tolerate international economic isolation - with disastrous results for Venezuela's poor - in exchange for greater power at home."  The Washington Times editorial, "Chavez and the Media," states: "Regardless of how Mr. Chavez and his supporters regard the objectivity the press in Venezuela, the president would make a big mistake to limit its freedoms. After all, Mr. Chavez can use speeches and state-owned outlets to counter any perceived subjectivity or inaccuracies. Weakened accountability could well result in serious human rights abuses in Venezuela, as seen in other places in the world."   In "Venezuela's democracy must not be forgotten," by the San Antonio Express, Jonathan Gurwitz writes that "the beauty of Venezuela, its democratic tradition, its rule of law, its respect for individual rights, and its vibrant economy are all in peril today as its leftist President, Hugo Chávez, threatens to turn Venezuela into the Iraq of the Western Hemisphere."   USA Today provides an interesting interview with US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, about the crucial topic of energy alternatives: "As the USA moves closer to war with oil-rich Iraq, gas prices are on the rise. So are concerns about terrorist attacks that might involve radiological materials available from widespread sources. In addition to tackling these pressing concerns, the Bush administration has proposed spending $1.7 billion over five years to start developing hydrogen fuel cells that could power cars, eventually eliminating U.S. dependence on foreign oil."   In the Naples News, "Bonnie Erbe: Country remains passive toward failing economy" Bonnie Erbe wonders why "the American public seems to be as blithely tolerant of an economy that has been almost purposefully tipped away from the brink of recovery and toward (if not over) the brink of recession for more than a year now."  She also claims that "President Bush's war strategy is directly responsible for higher gas prices, higher oil and natural gas prices to heat our homes, increased airline ticket prices, higher food prices (which must be shipped and trucked into grocery stores,) higher UPS and Fed Ex shipping costs (both companies have instituted fuel surcharges to ship packages) and more for, well, just about everything we eat, drink, drive to, and need to live." In "Brazil blocking conference to deal with Latin crises", The Miami Herald's Andres Oppenheimer reports that "there is a big bad boy who is blocking plans to solve Latin America's multiple crises -- Brazil," which is "paralyzed by 19th century fears of U.S. imperial designs, which have long driven it to instinctively reject almost anything coming from Washington or supported by Washington, regardless of its merits."   Commentary   The following is the letter I wrote to the New York Times, regarding the editorial by Moises Naim. (Republished by the International Herald Tribune). I encourage you to also write the New York Times with your views on Naim's editorial to letters@nytimes.com.  Please include your name, address, and phone number at the end of your piece. Also, if you send me a copy, I will publish it in the Daily, (without your info). Remember that your letter can be no longer than 150 words.   To the Editor,   I am writing concerning Moises Naim's op-ed, "Hugo Chavez and the Limits of Democracy" (03/05/03). Mr. Naim describes the dangers of letting democracy merely mean elections, using Venezuela as an illustration of flawed thinking regarding developing countries.  A shocking reality for Venezuelans is that the United States, the OAS, the United Nations, and the European Union - supposed global leaders - stood motionless as the lines between activism and treason were erased.   You don't hire a demolition crew to construct a building. Chavez was adept at destroying all institutions in Venezuela - both good and bad. During the next decade, politicians will have to rebuild the country from scratch. That will not include Chavez, who should accept that his appointment with Venezuela ended.  He is grasping to power like an acrobat hanging from a tightrope. Eventually, he will let go, but not before dragging the country further into despair.   Alexandra Beech   Events

On March 6, Dr. Margarita Lopez Maya of the Universidad Central de Venezuela will offer a talk titled "Venezuela on the Brink: Popular Protest and Civil Society in a time of Conflict" at 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM at The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Lucha Democrática, Resistencia CiviI de Venezolanos en el Exterior (RECIVEX) , SAVE Venezuela and PROVEO would like to invite all Venezuelans to participate in the "Global Day in Repudiation of the Violence and Abuses of the Hugo Chavez Regime", which will take place on March 9 in cities around the world, including Washington DC and London.

For upcoming events, please check www.11abril.com, www.proveo.org, www.aveny.com and www.veninvestor.com.   I hope you are safe, content, and peaceful, wherever you are, Alexandra Beech

frontpagemag.com By Candie Gibson Lemaire FrontPageMagazine.com | March 7, 2003

When your own words come back and leave you with egg on your face, it is called blowback. Senator John Kerry's recent defense of Columbia's FARC terrorists, and their "legitimate complaints" should elicit significant political blowback from the American people.

John Kerry made these remarks after a February speech in Boston, where he replied to a question about the U.S. war on drugs by saying, "It seems to be a renewal of a kind of chaos fueled partly by guerrillas who have legitimate complaints and the combination of drugs and war and the drug lord." Any red-blooded American has to ponder how Senator John "F." Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, could form such solidarity with a guerrilla terrorist group - a Colombian terrorist group that took three captured Americans as "prisoners of war." We're not talking about a small terrorist uprising. This group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), have a vast stronghold in the mountains and jungles of Colombia, and control a prime cocaine-producing region of the country.

Truthfully, terrorism stemming from South America looms as a force to be reckoned with. However, the U.S. cannot sleepwalk around it and still press on to wage a fight on terror. Much of the unease stems from the presence of three insurgent groups operating within Colombia. Though formally a democracy, Colombia remains a violent society, teeming with corruption, and driven by the special fuel of drug trafficking. Of the three guerilla organizations, FARC has clearly been on the forefront. Colombia's President Uribe's pledge to eradicate FARC terror  won him the presidential election; however, threats from FARC on attempts to eradicate President Uribe materialized in the southern city of Neiva, where a powerful bomb killed 18 people just one day before Uribe's planned visit to that city. Undaunted, Uribe made an appearnce in Neiva to offer condolences to relatives of those killed in the blast.

In addition to FARC, two other twin terrorist groups are gaining ground. The ELN, or National Liberation Army, and the A-U-C, or United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, are garnering their own distinctions. On September 10, 2001, one day in advance of the infamous New York attack of terror, the State Department officially added the name of A-U-C to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO). The FTO is updated every two years by the State Department's Coordinator for Counterterrorism. FARC, the largest guerrilla group, controls substantial areas of Colombia’s eastern lowlands and rain forest (a cocaine processing region of the country) while the ELN has been functioning primarily within the central area of the region, (a prime opium growing district). They have also reached up to the northeastern border near Venezuela.

Unfortunately, FARC's control has not been lessened, even with the recent U.S. expansion of assistance, which has taken in the form of both U.S. deployment of military personnel and millions of U.S. dollars to combat terrorism on the southern front. President Bush's Colombian aid package, "Plan Colombia," has been deemed a failure in making much of a dent in the day-to-day operations of Colombian terrorists. The plan's strategy to use fumigation for the coca fields and plants ended up creating animosity toward the U.S. by farmers who were left with no way to make a living; and, in the end, this may have given more credence to the guerilla groups such as FARC and the A-U-C.

On the positive side of the ledger, there has been limited Colombian government cooperation. Even with limited resources, the Colombian government under President Alvaro Uribe has tried to stand tall against FARC terrorism, and remains eager to resolve the ongoing civil war in a country where terrorism is homegrown.

However, drug thugs and the trade they create do not exist in a vacuum. Thus, the  U.S. should be ever mindful of the common goals terrorists share. America must include in this war on terrorism limits on the conditions that permit this southern front to escalate, namely the conditions of "loose borders" and a huge demand in the U.S. for drugs.

The impending threat from the southern front is not only from Colombia and Venezuela, but also Paraguay and Brazil, which have long been hotbeds and havens for rampant drugs and terrorism. According to joint testimony submitted in March 2002 by State Department officials before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information, a "historic link" was noted in the Western Hemisphere between various terrorist groups and narcotics trafficking.

Colombia, Peru, Paraguay and Brazil were all citied to be of imminent and growing concern. Testimony pointed out that FARC units throughout southern Colombia continue to raise cash via extortion to support their activities. The Justice Department’s DEA Administrator indicated continued unease with regard to the role of drug profits, especifically from FARC narco-terrorism activities, and the far-reaching tentacles of global terrorism.

In 2002, debate at the UN’s 57th General Assembly meeting brought about a discussion on terrorism and illicit drug trafficking within the South American region. A Brazilian representative told the Committee about stepped-up initiatives to combat criminal activity. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil stated that the fight in opposition to transnational organized crime was one of Brazil’s top priorities.

This South American region, commonly known as the tri-border, has increasingly drawn the interest of antiterrorism experts. This area is where the countries of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina come together. Counter-terrorism police have stated that evidence indicates terrorist activity has now dispersed east from Argentina to the isolated Brazilian jungles, and even to Sao Paulo, Brazil's financial capital. Experts agree that Brazil and its surrounding area have all the ingredients for a large-scale hotspot, including the fact that the region is also known for its leaky borders. A variety of Middle Easterners have been pouring in for some time.

Additionally, problems in Venezuela with Hugo Chavez prompted the Bush White House to put aside personal distaste for the elected leader and his policies, which resulted in widespread condemnation of the U.S. to seek a more peaceful conclusion to the dilemma. It should be noted that Bill Clinton's political strategist, James Carville, was a key manager in the Chavez election in Venezuela. Once elected, Chavez began to impose a dictatorship reign, inspired in large measure by Fidel Castro. Chavez sought out countries such as Libya and the People's Republic of China for alliances. A glaring and alarming fact is that Venezuela is currently South America's largest supplier of oil, which presents a looming global terrorism labyrinth. Given these clear and present concerns, the U.S. War on Terrorism must include a tactic to include awareness of the terrorist threats from our southern flank. In other words, we must connect the terrorist dots.

Clearly, South America's narcotics industry coupling with a terrorist threat serves as a loud wakeup call. It is a bona fide menace -- a menace on the move and gaining momentum. What once was a worrisome corrupt drug trade has now become toxic terrorism, laced with political dimensions. Exhibit A was the capture of three Americans in Colombia by FARC. FARC rebels accused the three Americans of being agents of the CIA, and considered U.S. involvement in Colombia an act of war. Well, war it is, and it would be prudent for the U.S. to be more mindful of this supplying region which harbors terrorism with a narcotics panache.

Certainly, any campaign to diminish the terrorist threat from the southern front must confront our identifiable immigration problems. Our overwhelmed immigration system is the primary lure -- both to immigrants who desire to come to “the promised land” and also to those who need an accessible viaduct for illegal business. Simply put, our borders are wide open spaces.

So, how then, if America’s objective is national security, can we ignore a vigorous measure of implemented homeland border protection? The events of September 11th still speak in moving terms that the breadth of protection must include full border restraint. Without immigration control, America faces a domestic cataclysm. Some discussion may be in order regarding specific global fronts where American troops are now deployed - and whether they might be better used to protect “the land of the free and home of the brave.”

Terrorism cannot be contained without a mandate on immigration restrictions coupled with border protection, and the implementation should come immediately.

Senator Kerry's vocalized rationale for rebels with terror tactics that are now slick enough to grease their way deep into the Colombian narco-democracy, is counterproductive; and sympathies, implied or expressed, by any U.S. representative to provide justification for rebel terror -- especially following September 11, 2001 -- is untenable. It is a line of thinking which surely should leave any presidential hopeful on a slippery slope of credibility.

Democracy and the freedoms we savor every day are indeed worth this fight on terrorism. It’s a fight looming both the Middle East and our Southern Front. Rooting out terrorism is not for the faint of heart. Whether it's a shoulder-to-shoulder hunt, or simply the watchful eye of a vigilant citizen, it is a non-stop duty for all of the nation. That’s why any misguided rhetoric expressed as sanctioning rebel terrorist activities in Colombia, such as those made by Senator Kerry, is indefensible. Not only is it a disservice to our men and women in uniform, both current and former, but it is not in keeping with our basic American principles. Most of those who noticed Senator Kerry's remarks are humming out a sour note, which may become Kerry's own swan song.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Thursday, March 06, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

President Hugo Chavez Frias’ Bolivarianism is a sham … senior Venezuelan columnist Domingo Alberto Rangel says “to be Bolivarian today is to be between God and Devil.”

Rangel brushes aside opposition hype about the presence of Colombian guerrillas in Venezuela, recalling that the Revolutionary Armed Force of Colombia (FARC) has had an “Ambassador” in Caracas since Rafael Caldera was President.

Asking the question whether the FARC has a foreign policy, Rangel observes a contradiction … “they supposedly want to establish a socialist order, even though they do not say so with clarity and internationally they appear to be traditionalist."

"They should have such an internationalist policy that would eliminate current nations and create one unit consisting of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela … if Bolivar talked disparagingly about ‘mini-countries,’ why shouldn’t 21st century Marxists not assume the standard of a single entity from the Orinoco to Guayas?”

FARC, Rangel insists, takes refuge in Chavez Frias’ "ridiculous  bolivarianism, which is an opportunist way of being all right with the armchair Left and all the right wings."

Singling out the all-powerful Venezuelan ranchers with their accusations that Colombian guerrillas are invading Venezuela, Rangel points out that Colombian guerillas have been entering and leaving Venezuela since General Perez Jimenez (1953-1958) and they have done a good job ... “they forced the big landowners and ranchers to recognize social benefits and a decent salary for Colombian laborers … ranchers with a few exceptions paid miserable wages … Colombian workers were illegal pariahs.”

Continuing his criticism of FARC and the ELN’s international policy, Rangel says they seem to ignore the fact that they are the vanguard of a revolutionary movement destined to change not only Colombia but also the whole of meridian America … “they should strike alliances and even fuse with Venezuelan and Ecuadorian groups … policy as regards Venezuela is pure opportunism.”

The FARC’s declaration that it is a Bolivarian group was made to appease Chavez Frias.

“It’s not even original... Venezuela will not be liberated unless Colombia and Ecuador are liberated at the same time. The FARC and ELN could start by organizing Colombians living in Venezuela … they are all hard workers and sometimes in some towns the hardest workers … when there are 1.5 million Colombians at least living here, are FARC and ELN going to renounce such a force because of a limited patriotism that was ridiculous in the times of Bolivar, especially in our days of a prolonged war?”