553 Colombian paramilitaries lay
down arms
A
total of 553 paramilitaries of
the far-right United
Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
(AUC) laid down their arms
Saturday in southwestern
Colombia.
The paramilitary fighters,
including 20 women, belong to
the Calima Bloc of the AUC. They
handed in their mortars,
grenades, ammunition,
assault-rifles and pistols.
Peace Commissioner Luis Restrepo
and officials of the
Organization of American States
(OAS) attended Saturday's
demobilization ceremony, the
fifth disbandment in less than a
month under the Andean country's
peace initiative.
In Colombia, paramilitaries are
illegal combatants who take part
in far-right clandestine groups
to fight against guerrillas.
Human rights groups said the AUC
have killed hundreds of people
for the hypothesis of helping
guerrillas.
In the ceremony, Bloc Commander
Hernan Hernandez said the
demobilization process is of
most importance for peace in the
country.
OAS envoy Sergio Caramagna
highlighted progress in the
process that aims at
demobilizing some 20,000 AUC
paramilitaries by Dec. 31, 2005.
More than 3,000 paramilitary
combatants have laid down their
arms since mid-2003 when the
government's paramilitary
pacification program began. In
the next few days the Pacific
Bloc will also be demobilized.
The Calima Bloc is part of the
20,000-strong AUC. In the
biggest disarmament in
Colombia's history, 1,400 AUC
members turned in their weapons
a week ago near the Venezuelan
border.
Colombia grants US extradition
request for 4 nationals
Colombia agreed to extradite
four citizens, including a
woman, to the United States for
the accusations of drug
trafficking and money
laundering, the authorities said
Saturday.
Among the extradited, Jorge
Lalinde faces charges by a
Florida tribunal of money
laundering for drug-trafficking
funds and intending to smuggle
cocaine into the United States.
Juan Jaramillo was accused of
heroin-trafficking by the same
court.
Carlos Guarin is charged with
money laundering by a New York
court, while Maria Luna faces
the charge of drug trafficking
in Florida.
The extradition request on Luna
has been ratified, but those for
the other three are depending on
the result of their appeals, the
Colombian authorities said.
Colombia is the world's top
cocaine and heroin producer. Its
annual heroin output reaches 580
tons, most of which ends up in
Europe and the United States.
The South American country also
supplies 80 percent of the
global cocaine market.
Since August 2002, Colombia has
extradited to the United States
around 230 nationals on charges
of drug-trafficking and money
laundering.
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Argentina's Menem wants to run
for president in 2007
Former Argentine President
Carlos Menem said Saturday that
he wants to participate in the
presidential elections in 2007.
"Without a doubt in 2007 I will
be a presidential candidate
again. The political steps to be
taken will continue the work
I've been doing, even from
Chile," Menem said on a local
radio.
He said he will return from his
self-imposed exile in Chile next
week to his country to start his
campaign for the 2007 elections
at once.
Menem governed Argentina for two
consecutive terms from 1989
to1999. He spent seven months
under house arrest in 2001 in
connection with a separate
federal investigation into
alleged arms trafficking during
his administration.
He tried to run for president
again in 2003, but withdrew in
the run-off as he was not
favored in voting-preference
polls.
Menem will return to Buenos
Aires on Dec. 22, after two
arrest warrants against him were
canceled. The arrest warrants
have forced him to live in Chile
since December 2003 to evade the
Argentine justice.
The 73-year-old former Argentine
president has repeatedly said
that his trials are part of
political persecution from the
current government of President
Nestor Kirchner.
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