Explosion in Colombia kills one,
injures six
A bomb explosion rocked a
government building in southern
Bogota on Sunday night, killing
one person and injuring six
others, local police confirmed
Monday.
Preliminary investigation showed
that an urban guerrilla front of
the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC) was
responsible for the attack,
Metropolitan Police Commander
General Hector Garcia said.
The blast also caused minor
damage to surrounding buildings
and a vehicle parking nearby.
FARC, with 17,000 members, is
the largest rebel organization
inColombia and allegedly
finances itself through drug
trafficking and kidnappings.
Colombia has been plagued by a
four-decade civil war, in which
leftist rebels, far-right
paramilitaries and government
troops fight each other, killing
about 3,500 people every year.
Ecuadorian president denies
installation of new military
bases
Ecuadorian President Lucio
Gutierrez on Monday denied a
rumor that his government agreed
with the United States to
establish new military bases in
his country in addition to the
Manta base.
The president denied the
allegations by some social and
Indigenous groups who fear that
the country's military bases
will be utilized by US military
personnel. They reject the
presence of US troops at the
Manta base.
Gutierrez said the construction
of the Manta base was agreed on
in 1999 by the government of
President Jamil Mahuad, after
assuring that the base would be
used to fight drug-trafficking.
The Manta base was part of the
Plan Colombia backed by
Washington to fight illegal
armed groups in Ecuador.
Ecuador, bordering with
Colombia, Peru and Venezuela,
has been affected by the armed
conflicts among Colombian armed
forces, rebels and
paramilitaries for more than
four decades.
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Pakistani, Brazilian leaders
discuss trade relations
Visiting Pakistani President
Pervez Musharraf agreed Monday
with his Brazilian counterpart
LuizInacio Lula da Silva to
improve bilateral trade
relations.
The two leaders signed an
agreement for consultations on
issues of common interest.
According to Brazilian
authorities, bilateral trade
amounted to 77 million US
dollars this year.
The two sides also signed a
memorandum of understanding on
hunger reduction, and two
agreements on combating
drug-trafficking and on consular
affairs.
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