OAS backs Ecuador, slams Colombia

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The Organization of American States yesterday defended Ecuador with near unanimous criticism of Colombia for its cross-border strike on a rebel base as the immediate threat of war in the weekend incident faded.

Diplomats from across Latin America gathered in the grand hall of the OAS headquarters in Washington and passed a resolution that defused the crisis and agreed to send a five-member commission to the region to reinforce the reconciliation.

"What we cannot accept is a repetition of this," said Brazil's ambassador to the OAS, Osmar Chohfi, "because it is a danger to the peace and security in the region."

In response to Saturday's military strike, Ecuador and its political ally Venezuela cut diplomatic relations with Colombia. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also moved about 9,000 soldiers to the border of Colombia.

Officials said Ecuador sent 3,200 soldiers to its border with Colombia on Monday.

President Rafael Correa last night asked the international community to issue a "clear condemnation" of Colombia for its cross-border military incursion into Ecuadorean territory.

Venezuela's OAS ambassador, Jorge Valero Briceno, said it was a protective measure to "defend our sovereign territory because we are seeing the war spilling over to the neighbors."

He stepped back from any talk of conflict between the two countries. "The word 'war' does not exist in the political dictionary of Venezuela or President Chavez. The words we would use are 'peace' and 'humanitarian accord,' " Mr. Valero said.

He said the solution to regional tension was for Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's government to negotiate with rebels from the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

"The solution is not war; it is political dialogue," Mr. Valero said.

OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza is to lead the diplomatic team to Ecuador and Colombia, then submit a report on the situation to a scheduled meeting of foreign affairs ministers at the OAS headquarters on March 17.

One by one, the OAS diplomats spoke out against Colombia's violation of Ecuador's sovereignty, then welcomed the negotiated solution to the impasse. Only the United States stopped short of criticizing its regional ally.

U.S. Ambassador J. Robert Manzanares welcomed the peaceful resolution to the crisis, saying Washington was "pleased that Colombia and Ecuador have agreed to a text that will find a diplomatic resolution to this impasse."

Colombia has received billions of dollars in military aid from the United States to battle the FARC, which Washington has declared a terrorist organization largely funded through the cocaine trade.

On Saturday, Colombia conducted a raid inside Ecuador on a FARC camp, killing top guerrilla leader Raul Reyes and more than a dozen others.

"I am sure their calculation was, 'This is Raul Reyes and we will deal with the diplomatic fallout when it comes,' " said Adam Isacson of the Center for International Policy. "They figured the consequences would be manageable."

Then Mr. Chavez, who has been at odds with his pro-U.S. Colombian counterpart for years, decided "to exact a higher price," Mr. Isacson said.

Colombian officials yesterday released copies of 13 documents they claim were found in a laptop seized from the wreckage of the rebel's jungle hide-out in Ecuador.

According to the Associated Press, the information suggests Mr. Chavez has been in league with the rebels for more than a decade and reflects deepening rebel contacts with European governments as well as some U.S. representatives who have tried to obtain the release of hostages held by the FARC.

Venezuela claims the texts are lies and fabrications.