Bad news in the southern front of the war on terrorism

A little-noticed -- and preposterous -- development is taking place in the southern front of the war on terrorism: Colombia's narco-terrorist guerrillas have scored a big diplomatic victory following the decisions by Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela not to brand them as ``terrorists.''

It was more than a propaganda victory for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the 17,000-strong guerrilla group that, according to Colombian and U.S. officials, was behind the bomb that leveled Bogotá's El Nogal social club last month, killing 35 people -- including six children -- and injuring 175 others.

It was a public snub to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that seems to have emboldened the FARC, courtesy of the Brazil-Ecuador-Venezuela axis of diplomatic spinelessness.

Uribe had been asking neighboring countries to declare the FARC a ''terrorist organization,'' which under United Nations antiterrorism Resolution 1373 would allow them to freeze FARC's bank accounts, crack down on financing for the group, and deny its members refuge in their territories.

The U.S. government and the 15-member European Union have already branded the FARC a terrorist organization, alongside the right-wing Colombian United Self-Defense Groups.

But Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela have separately rejected Uribe's request, arguing that they want to remain ''viable mediators'' in the event of future peace talks in Colombia.

They have agreed to condemn ''terrorist actions,'' but not to brand the FARC as a terrorist group. Ecuador's foreign minister, Nina Pacari, was even quoted as making the ridiculous assertion that labeling the FARC as terrorists would amount to ''intervening'' in Colombia's internal affairs.

Not surprisingly, the FARC was elated. In a banner headline on its official website, the FARC boasted on March 9 that ''neighboring countries refuse to take part in the war carried out by Uribe and [President] Bush.'' It added, ``Ecuador refuses to define the FARC as terrorists. Brazil and Venezuela had done so earlier.''

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Uribe held an emergency meeting last week in Brazil, and foreign ministers of Colombia's neighboring countries met in Bogotá Wednesday and were drafting a grandiose statement vowing cooperation in the war on terrorism. But at the time of this writing, there was no indication that the three wavering countries had declared the FARC a terrorist group.

Before I tell you why these three countries are kidding themselves with their assertion that they want to remain viable mediators in the Colombian conflict, let me remind you that the FARC has been singled out by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups as a major source of human rights violations.

While the FARC earlier this week denied responsibility for the Feb. 7 bombing of the El Nogal Club, the Colombian government has identified what it says were the three perpetrators of the bombing, who are FARC members. They were aided by the social club's squash instructor, John Freddy Arellano, Colombian prosecutors say.

In addition to the FARC's periodic bombings, Amnesty International has recently condemned ``the persistent practice of hostage taking and kidnapping by the FARC.''

Among dozens of other people, the FARC continues to hold former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who was kidnapped in February 2002. In September 2001, the FARC kidnapped 25 civilians in the department of Cesar, including former Minister of Culture Consuelo Araujo, who was killed while held hostage.

Colombians don't seem to doubt that the FARC is a terrorist group: Ninety-four percent of Colombians have a negative image of the leftist guerrilla group, polls show. Why are countries refusing to brand the FARC as terrorists, then?

Conservatives are quick to say that it's because Brazil and Ecuador have leftist governments, and Venezuela has an elected dictator-in-the-making who poses as a leftist revolutionary. But the fact is that the previous center-right governments of these three countries had also refused to characterize the FARC as terrorists.

Some Brazilian and Ecuadorean officials say it's simply because, unlike the United States or Europe, they don't keep official lists of ''terrorist'' groups. Indeed, doing that would drain much-needed government energies -- and leftist parties' votes -- that they need to confront domestic crises.

Maybe so. But the cost of not taking a tougher stand against the FARC will revert against Colombia's wavering neighbors. Increasingly, narco-terrorists are setting up training camps, and expanding the drug trade across Colombia's borders.

If they really wanted to become ''viable mediators,'' Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela should do exactly the opposite of what they are doing now. They should first declare all Colombian narco-terrorist groups -- including the FARC -- as terrorists, and then offer to withdraw that label once these groups stop committing terrorist acts. Only that would make them viable, and effective, mediators.

But Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela have separately rejected Uribe's request, arguing that they want to remain ''viable mediators'' in the event of future peace talks in Colombia.

One man's terrorist is another man's tool.

Brazil blocking conference to deal with Latin crises***Judging from the speeches and the talk in the hallways I heard at a top-level conference on military affairs earlier this week, there is a big bad boy who is blocking plans to solve Latin America's multiple crises -- Brazil. ***

Ecuador - Latin America's Political Compass Veers Toward the Left***BOGOTA, Colombia, Jan. 18 - Latin America's four most visible left-leaning heads of state came together for the first time this week at the inauguration of one of them as president of Ecuador. Ecuador's new leader, Lucio Gutierrez, is a former army colonel and coup plotter who has promised to fight the "corrupt oligarchy" in his country. The others are Luiz Inßcio Lula da Silva, a former union leader elected to the Brazilian presidency in October; Fidel Castro of Cuba, the grand old man of the Latin American left; and Venezuela's embattled president, Hugo Chavez. The four basked in applause at Ecuador's cavernous Congress on Wednesday and held meetings to discuss the future of a troubled region.***

Venezuela - Chávez's Bolivarian Circles in South Florida - 17 around U.S. - Spreading around world*** The Bolivarian Circles -- along with Chávez's controversial 1999 ''Bolivarian constitution'' -- are part of his overarching ``Bolivarian Revolution.'' Some 70,000 circles exist in Venezuela, made up largely of the working class. Typically, they meet weekly and engage in humanitarian projects such as providing food for the poor -- with military financing -- and building schools. Critics compare the circles to Fidel Castro's Committees for the Defense of the Revolution.*** - Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

Castro and Lula

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Castro and Chavez

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