Ecuadorian President
Says To Quit If Proved
To Have Links With FARC
Ecuadorian President
Rafael Correa said
Saturday he would step
down if there is proof
that he had ties with
the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC),
the largest rebel group
in Colombia.
"If I had the most
minimal relation with
the FARC as candidate or
as president I will
resign as president,"
Correa said in his
weekly radio address.
"We have never received
illegal (campaign)
contributions."
The president said he
handed over proof of his
innocence to the
Organization of American
States amid accusations
that he had received
money contributions from
FARC rebels during his
presidential campaign in
2006.
Colombian President
Alvaro Uribe was leading
a smear campaign against
him, Correa added.
On March 1, Colombian
troops bombed a FARC
base in Ecuadorian
territory and seized the
computers belonging to
the FARC's No. 2 leader
Raul Reyes, who was
killed in the raid.
Ecuador broke relations
with Colombia after the
event, claiming that the
raid violated its
sovereignty.
Colombia filed a
petition for the
international police
agency Interpol to study
the FARC computers,
which supposedly has
contents showing links
between Venezuelan and
Ecuadorian governments
and the rebel group.
Interpol Thursday
released a report
confirming the
authenticity of the
computer documents,
which Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez
called a "clown show."
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