Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela crisis: OAS findings

Caracas, Venezuela, Monday 17 March, 2008. The Ecuadorian - Colombian crisis is currently being analysed during the 25th meeting of consultation of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the American States (OAS) in Washington this afternoon. The Foreign Minister of Dominican Republic, Carlos Morales, chairs the meeting.  OAS Foreign Ministers will discuss the findings of the investigation commission on the regional crisis. This commission travelled to both Ecuador and Colombia to investigate the facts surrounding the killing -earlier this month-of No2 FARC Leader, Raul Reyes, other guerrilla members and four Mexican students.  Recommendations or solutions to the current diplomatic standoff will also be reviewed during the meeting.  

Prior to the meeting, Colombian Newspaper El Tiempo - own by the family of current Colombian Defense Minister- published photos of Raul Reyes and a man "identified" as the Ecuadorian Minister of External Security Gustavo Larrea. However, Ecuador rejected such identification of the man in the picture. It stated it was not Minister Larrea. It later emerged the man in the picture was Patricio Etchegary, the Secretary General of the Argentinean Communist Party.   Ecuador expects a strong condemnation of Colombian violation of its sovereignty.  Colombian Noticias Uno, also revealed that the only soldier who was allegedly killed by FARC in combat on March 1, 2008 died in other circumstances. Soldier Carlos Hernandez buried with honours as a hero, died when a tree fell on him during the intervention on Ecuadorian territory. His death certificate was not available and his family suddenly changed address. Such revelation questions once more the allegations used by Colombian government to justify its intervention in Ecuador.  Furthermore, the only Mexican student who survived the attack on the FARC camp, Lucia Morett, stated Colombian soldiers killed the wounded. It was a massacre, she added.     

During the meeting, US Vice Secretary of State, John Negroponte, stated that the Colombian attack was justifiable.

More News to come. -

Sources: OAS, VTV, Globovision, Unionradio, Caracol, RCN, BBC Mundo, El Comercio, El Universal, Telesur, NoticiasUno,

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