Colombia Accuses Swiss
Diplomat Of Financing
FARC
Colombian Defense
Minister Juan Manuel
Santos has accused Swiss
diplomat Jean Paul
Gontard of giving
500,000 U.S. dollars,
which were seized in
Costa Rica, to the
Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC),
local daily El Tiempo
said Sunday.
"The only thing I want
to ask Mr. Gontard is
why he appears in the
emails of Raul Reyes as
bearer of the 500,000
dollars," Santos said.
Raul Reyes was the
second-in-command of the
FARC and was killed in
an attack launched by
the Colombian army in
Ecuadorian territory,
which provoked a
diplomatic crisis
between the two
countries.
Santos also denied that
the Colombian government
had paid for the release
of the 15 hostages, who,
including Colombian
former presidential
candidate Ingrid
Betancourt, were rescued
by the Colombian army
from the FARC on
Wednesday.
Swiss radio station
Suisse Romanda had said
the FARC received 20
million dollars for
releasing the hostages,
but Santos said that is
"absolutely false."
Santos said that
operation "Jaque" was
designed by a Colombian
military intelligence
agent, which led the
FARC's guard in charge
of the hostages believe
there was an order to
transfer the hostages to
FARC leader Alfonso
Cano.
Then the Colombian
military "made a kind of
movie set to practice
the plan," Santos said.
Regarding the future of
the FARC, Santos said "I
expect that Alonso Cano
will realize that if he
does not negotiate now,
later it will be more
difficult."
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