President Chavez disparages armed struggle in Colombia


That President Chavez would openly disparage armed struggle in Colombia is opportunism at best. If, as head of state, he doesn't think openly supporting the uprising is in the interests of the security of Venezuela, that's understandable, but in that case it would be better to simply say nothing other than to deny that he is giving FARC any aid. To openly turn on FARC, however, and support a comprador government, is inexcusible.

I don't deny that some good is being done in Venezuela, and I think we must support Venezuela when under attack by imperialism, but I think it's a mistake to continue to uphold Chavez as any kind of model of an anti-imperialist leader. His ideology is obviously severely flawed.

The following news story, attributed to the Associated Press, was printed on page A6 of the Monday, 9 June 2008 edition of the Arizona Republic.

--Kevin Walsh, on behalf of the European-American Socialist People's Front (EASPF)

COLOMBIAN REBELS URGED TO END FIGHT

"Guerrilla War Is History," Venezuela Leader Says

Caracas, Venezuela--Venezuel an President Hugo Chavez on Sunday urged Colombian rebels to lay down their weapons, unilaterally free dozens of hostages and end a decades-long armed struggle.

Chavez sent the uncharacteristic message to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, saying their ongoing efforts to overthrow Colombia's democratically elected government were unjustified.

"The guerrilla war is history," Chavez said during his weekly television and radio program. "At this moment in Latin America, an armed guerrilla movement is out of place."

Such declarations were unexpected from Chavez, who long has been accused of giving the rebels refuge. A self-described socialist, he called on world governments to remove the FARC from terrorist lists earlier this year, suggesting the group is in fact a legitimate insurgency.

Colombia's government claims that a laptop recovered from a FARC camp in March shows a history of deep collaboration between the rebels and Chavez--something the Venezuelan leader denies.

But addressing FARC's new leader, Alfonso Cano, on Sunday, Chavez said, "I think the time has come for the FARC to free everyone they have in the mountains. It would be a great, humanitarian gesture, in exchange for nothing."