Colombian military denies
guerrilla infiltration in naval
base
The Colombian military on
Saturday denied a newspaper
report that guerrillas
infiltrated in a naval base and
launched an attack from within.
The el Tiempo daily indicated
that the attack this week
against the Iscuande base west
of Narino department, which left
16 dead, had been launched by
guerrillas who had infiltrated
the base.
The paper quoted military
sources as saying that seven
Marines mysteriously disappeared
after the attack. "The
whereabouts of seven marines who
ought to have been at the base
is a mystery. Their names did
not appear in any list," said
the paper.
But Joint Chiefs of Staff Carlos
Ospina said there has been no
information on infiltration of
guerrillas of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
in the Iscuande naval base.
"We have not had any type of
information or suspicion on
infiltration of guerrillas at
the Iscuande station," he said.
He also denied the disappearance
of marines after the attack.
The 17,000-strong FARC is the
largest and oldest insurgent
organization in Colombia.
South African Minister of
Defense Presents Book in Cuba
South African Minister of
Defense Ronnie Kasrils presented
his book called “Armed but
Dangerous” Friday in the 14th
International Book Fair of
Havana, an event celebrated here
up to February 13.
Kasrils said that his book
constituted memories of his life
fighting against the racial
discrimination system known as
“apartheid”.
“The Cuban Revolution was the
source of inspiration for all of
us, and that is why the moral
and material solidarity of Cuba
for our cause appears in my
book, as much as the joint fight
of Cuban and South African
soldiers in the war of Angola
(1975-1989) does,” he said.
Kasrils gave homage to his wife,
who saved him many times of
being caught by South African
racists, called the Spanish
language “a beautiful language”
and revealed that since 1961,
South African revolutionaries
studied the work of Ernesto
“Che” Guevara in their homeland.
In the activity, there was Cuban
Parliament president Ricardo
Alarcon, who regarded the work
of Ronnie Kasrils as
“fascinating, rich, and very
well written”. He said the book
was not only auto-biographical,
but also a detailed narration of
the struggle of South African
revolutionary fighters, and a
beautiful call for solidarity
The book, published by Ciencias
Sociales, is the first Spanish
translation of the work of
Ronnie Kasrils.
|
|
Mexican Parties Get Ready for
First Elections in 2005
Political parties in Mexico are
getting ready for the February
elections to select the
government of three federal
states.
The first elections of 2005 will
be held in Guerrero and Quintana
Roo, the two main Mexican
tourist zones, and Baja
California Sur, on February 6.
Experts believe the
Institutional Revolutionary and
Democratic Revolution parties
will engage in the first phase
of the candidates´ campaigns,
which have been traditionally
marked by damaging remarks.
The tightest elections for a
state governor in Mexican
history are expected to take
place in Guerrero next Sunday.
In Quintana Roo, mainstay of the
PRD, elections will also be
tight, according to latest
surveys.
Narciso Agundez, who belongs to
the Democratic Coalition (PRD-Convergencia),
is considered a favorite to win
elections in Baja California Sur.
|
|
|
|
