Communiqué from the Central Secretariat of the General Staff of the FARC-EP

The Wombats have just got hold of the FARC-EP's communiqué in response to the death of Raul Reyes. Amongst other things, it notes the identity of Reyes'successor, Joaquin Gomez (pictured, right, with Reyes in 1999).

For any readers interested in a deeper view of what the FARC-EP are about politically, rather than relying solely upon corporate media and its distorted drivel, there is a very recent interview with the FARC-EP's international spokesman Rodgrigo Granda, and an interview with Reyes himself, from the middle of last year.

Since our last post, both Venezuela and Ecuador have withdrawn their ambassadors, and expelled the Colombian ambassadors (Venezuela has expelled the entire embassy), and have sent troops to the border. Venezuela's president Chavez has said that if Uribe tries this kind of stunt in Venezuela it will be war. Correa too, has threatened to pursue this to the "ultimate consequences" and have issued a statement of protest.

Both Correa and Chavez have called Uribe - who has longstanding links with the drug-trafficking paramilitaries - a liar and a mafioso, and Chavez compared the role of Colombia in the region to that of Israel, in the Midle East (an apt comparison, in far too many ways to take up here, although Vietnam is another, very pertinent, option).

In response, the Colombian government, through the Chief of Police (whose brother is apparently a convicted drug trafficker) has claimed to have found 3 laptops with the guerrillas, and has claimed to have found evidence of Venezuela paying the FARC-EP US$300 million, and accused Ecuador's Interior Minister, Gustavo Larrea, of having met with Reyes. Never mind that the money (if it existed) may have been used to free the recently released hostages, and that Larrea has admitted to having met with Reyes, in a third country to negotiate hostage releases. As has the French government, of course, but their not being taken to the Hague...

Probably sensing that these claims would soon be seen as specious, Colombia has now claimed that Venezuela was helping the FARC-EP get 50kg of uranium (an accusation which is a sure sign of political desperation, and outrageous dihonesty, on Colombia's part), and now wants to take Venezuela to the Hague on charges of "Genocide".

The rich hypocrisy of Uribe, who is the narco-presidential son of a wanted drug trafficker; grew up with the children of drug king-pin Fabio Ochoa; was a former good mate of drug baron Pablo Escobar; and was an architect of the blood-soaked paramilitary group the Convivirs (when he was Governor of Antioquia state) trying to take Chavez - of all people - to the Hague on such charges really underscores the desperation of the Colombian oligarchy and their US puppet-masters. There is, however, the danger that some of these lies could rub off into popular consciousness, so the left, as a whole, needs to be equipped with the facts of the matter, and to join in the international protests on March 6 for peace and justice in Colombia.

The FARC-EP communiqué follows below:
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Communiqué from the Central Secretariat of the General Staff of the FARC-EP

March 4, 2008

Communiqué

1. We informed the Colombian people and international opinion, that Comandante Raul Reyes, has been killed. He was a comprehensive and exemplary revolutionary, who gave his entire life to the cause of the exploited, for national liberation and for the Great Fatherland that Bolivar dreamed of. We pay our respects to him and to the other 15 guerrillas killed at his side.

2. The Comandante fell fulfilling the mission of acheiving, through President Chavez, an interview with president Sarkozy, in order to progress in finding solutions to the situation of Ingrid Betancur and the goal of humanitarian exchange.

3. The treachery of the attack, the viciousness and cynicism of the liar Alvaro Uribe in distorting the circumstances of the death of Comandante Raul, not only dangerously intensifies the relations of this government with its sister republics, but is a grave blow to the chances of Humanitarian Exchange and annuls the political solution to the conflict with this paramilitarised and pro-Yankee regime.

4. To Presidents Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Sarkozy, Rafael Correa, Daniel Ortega, Cristina Fernandez, Evo Morales and all Governments who are friends of peace, to the families of the prisoners, and to the overwhelming majority that supported the Humanitarian Exchange, we encourage you to continue fighting for the clearing of Florida and Pradera.

5. The cause of peace based on social justice, for which the commander Raul Reyes gave his life, still waves from atop the mountains of Colombia, from the Bolivarian Platform, the Strategic Plan for the FARC, and the unfailing determination of the guerrillas and people to fight throughout the country. Raul will always be remembered with deep affection, especially for contributing his revolutionary steadfastness, his perseverance, his persistence and effectiveness to publicise to the international community the reality of the FARC as a Revolutionary Army, and his fortitude to energise the strategy of Bolivarian Continental unity .

6. We report that Comandante Joaquin Gomez as of this date becomes a full member of the Secretariat of the Central General Staff.

Eternal Honour and Glory to Comandante Raul Reyes.

For the New Colombia, the Patria Grande and Socialism: Not one step backwards!


Secretariat of the Central General Staff of the FARC-EP

Mountains of Colombia, March 2, 2008.