REPUBLIC
OF VENEZUELA
In relation
with the information published in the newspaper El Tiempo of Bogota
according to which “the aid from the United States to Venezuela staggers if
links of authorities with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are
verified”, the Embassy of Venezuela in the United States wants to inform to
the Public opinion the following:
1. In relation to the provision incorporated by the Committee of Appropriations of the Senate in the Project of the Law of Foreign Operations for 2004, about a provision that would restrict the assistance to Venezuela if the Secretary of State certifies “that the Government of Venezuela is assisting, harboring or providing sanctuary for Colombian terrorist organizations” the Venezuelan Government does not understand how the Congress of the United States legislates in such sensible subject on the basis of false information and speculations without credible and reliable evidences, which have the purpose to damage the democratic government of Venezuela and consequently all the Venezuelan nation. The government through its Embassy in Washington has been always in the disposition to show the reality that refutes this campaign against Venezuela, and it has informed it to the members of the mentioned Committee.
2. The
elaboration of the provision incorporated by the Senate about Venezuela has been
done without any dialogue between us and without a formal investigation.
Venezuela thought that the United States supported the principle that states
that accusations cannot be made before pursuing a process of verification and
validation of the facts. For this reason to include this provision in the Law
will violate this principle.
3. - The accusations on the supposed support of Venezuela to the Colombian guerrilla have recently been denied by the Commander of the U.S. Southern Command, General James T. Hill; the Director of Operations of the U.S. Southern Command, Brig. Gen Benjamin R. Mixon; the Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roger Noriega; the Director of the Office of Andean Affairs of the Department of State, Philip Chicola, and the Commander General of Colombian Military Forces, Jorge Enrique Mora.
The government I represent has asked in many opportunities to the U.S. authorities, for any information or evidence on this subject. Until now, we have not received any.
Recently, in
light of the accusations published in an article of the magazine U.S. News
& World Report, the Venezuelan authorities requested an explanation to
the US authorities about the supposed official sources mentioned by the
journalist, without obtaining an answer. We have also requested the assistance
of the Committee of Foreign Relations of the United States Senate to investigate
this case.
In light of this campaign of disrepute, is important to remind the public opinion that Venezuela, among other actions, legally handled in to Colombia 19 Colombian guerrilla members requested by its authorities. In November 2002, the Venezuela authorities captured and handed over to the United States one of the ten most wanted criminals of the FBI.
Venezuela has
been signing and ratifying all the international legal instruments against
terrorism, and recently the Venezuelan National Assembly promulgated the
approving law on the Interamerican Convention against Terrorism, which its
waiting for the ratification of other countries, among them, the United States.