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The Colombian security forces say they have killed another senior member of the Farc rebel group. The reported death of Ivan Rios is the second blow to the left-wing guerrilla group in less than a week. Last Saturday another top commander, Raul Reyes, was killed by troops in a raid just inside Ecuador. He was the first member of the Farc's ruling secretariat to die in combat. The killing triggered a diplomatic row, with Ecuador denouncing the incursion. More details (in Spanish) here; http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/?p=12663

FARC to release hostages in Ecuador QUITO, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has agreed to release at least 12 hostages in Ecuador in early March, Ecuadoran Internal and Foreign Security Minister Gustavo Larrea said Thursday. "Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and French President Nicolas Sarkozy separately knew about Ecuador's mediation to liberate 12 hostages, including French-Colombian citizen Ingrid Betancourt," Larrea told local television. FARC has agreed to free former Colombian presidential candidate Betancourt, three U.S. advisors, four policemen, three Colombian soldiers and an Ecuadoran citizen, Larrea said. "We immediately passed that information to the...

The following is my translation of the blog post by Juan Manuel Ruiz. http://www.elpais.com.co/blogs/principal/blog1.php?b=20&n=590 Read the following with full attention: the meeting of March the 5th in the Miraflores Palace between the presidents Hugo Chavez and Rafel Correa, served so that both leaders, far from seeking to end the crisis, would agree to what could be their "plan of action" to follow win order to isolate Colombia and topple the government of Alvaro Uribe. Sources from both governments that found out about the contacts maintained by both presidents from last Saturday, think that the general alignments for what will be...

Article has the last "letter" from Reyes to the FARC. Below is the relevant section talking about Obama followed by my translation; "6. Los gringos pedirán cita con el ministro para solicitarle nos comunicara su interés en conversar estos temas. Dicen que el nuevo presidente de su país será Obama y que ellos están interesados en sus compatriotas. Obama no apoyara Plan Colombia ni firma de TLC. Aquí respondimos que nos interesan las relaciones con todos los gobiernos en igualdad de condiciones y que en el caso de Estados Unidos se requiere in pronunciamiento público expresando su interés en conversar...

As reported by CNN (CNN en Espanol?), Alvaro Uribe (president of Colombia) has just announced a few minutes ago that the Colombian government will submit a criminal complaint against the President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez before the International Criminal Court for his ties with the FARC and having financed and supported a terrorist organization. Video coming soon.

The article is in Spanish, here is my translation; General Oscar Naranjo has presented this afternoon documents and photographs contained in Raul Reyes' computers that prove strong ties between the Venezuelan President and the FARC. They reveal the handing off 300 million US as well as arms. SEE VIDEOS "We, the FARC, will always be on the lookout for the defense of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, in case of any 'gringo' agression", says one paragraph in a letter from Marulanda to Chavez. Another communication reveals the destination of a delivery "50 kilos" from an airplane. The General has revealed...