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Colombian President Accuses Correa of Receiving Support from FARC

07 March 2008

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe (l) speaks to reporters in Bogota, 04 Mar 2008
Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe (l) speaks to reporters in Bogota, 04 Mar 2008

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has accused Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, of receiving support from the Colombian rebel group FARC to get elected.

Mr. Uribe made the charge Friday at a Rio Group summit in the Dominican Republic, citing as evidence a letter seized during last week's raid by Colombian forces on FARC rebels inside Ecuador. The raid has sparked an international crisis, pitting Venezuela and Ecuador against Colombia.

Meanwhile, Colombian officials said Friday that security forces killed a FARC rebel leader, Ivan Rios, in Colombia. Last week's attack in Ecuador killed commander Raul Reyes.

Earlier in the summit, Mr. Uribe said his government did not inform Quito ahead of the raid inside Ecuador because Mr. Correa had not supported the fight against terrorism.

The meeting in Santo Domingo brings the presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela face-to-face for the first time since the conflict began last week.

On Thursday, Nicaragua joined Venezuela and Ecuador in withdrawing its ambassador from Colombia, in response to the Colombian attack. Venezuela and Ecuador have sent troops to their borders with Colombia.

The Organization of American States has approved a resolution calling the attack a violation of Ecuador's sovereignty and international law. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the resolution and said it provides a path to settle the dispute peacefully.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also called for a diplomatic solution, and warned against allowing the FARC to continue to operate. Rice is due to visit Chile and Brazil next week, but is not scheduled to meet with the presidents of Colombia, Ecuador or Venezuela.

Colombian officials have defended the incursion, and the Colombian president has accused Venezuela of financing and supporting the FARC - a charged denied by Venezuela.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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