Venezuela Denies Link
With Colombian Rebels
Venezuelan Foreign
Minister Nicolas Maduro
Tuesday formally
rejected allegations of
his country's links with
the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC).
"We have received, from
the Colombian Foreign
Ministry, a white
plastic folder
containing photocopies
of papers signed with
names we don't know and
codes we do not
recognize," Maduro said.
"We do not recognize the
existence of these
alleged documents that
we were told had
survived on a FARC
computer."
FARC is Colombia's
largest rebel group.
Colombian government
forces captured the
computer during a March
1 raid on a FARC camp in
Ecuadoran territory that
killed the group's
number two leader, Edgar
Devia alias Raul Reyes,
and about two dozen
other members. Ecuador
broke off diplomatic
relations with Colombia
following the attack.
The documents had
already been published
by Colombian media, who
have been running a
long-standing campaign
to undermine the
credibility of
Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez, Maduro
said.
He called on the press
to "cease their campaign
against our government
and restore balance and
respect to the treatment
of Venezuelan stories."
Maduro said Venezuela
wished to move forward
and improve relations
with Colombia based on
mutual respect, and also
slammed the United
States for "trying to
turn this alleged
computer into away of
putting together a file
on our nation, against
the president".
Colombian media have
said that files on
Devia's computer showed
Venezuela is financing
FARC.
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