Hooded men attempt break in at Venezuelan consulate in Colombia Sat, 12 Feb 2000 01:22:57 -0500 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - Colombian Labor Monitor [NOTE: Death-squad ninjas try to take matters in their own hands bit get caught with their claws on the door-knob. -DG] =========================================== Gerbasi called the incident "very serious" and said there were "aggressive intentions" against his compatriots, who took refuge in the consulate after Colombian officials conditionally released them January 13. _____________________ =========================================== AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE Sunday, 6 February 2000 Hooded men attempt break in at Venezuelan consulate in Colombia -------------------------------- BOGOTA-Two men, dressed in black and hooded, fled after attempting a break in at the Venezuelan consulate here, where four Venezuelans accused by Colombian officials of having links with guerrilla groups have been holed up since January 14, Ambassador Fernando Gerbasi said Sunday. "They fled because the Venezuelans, a guard and neighborhood residents saw them trying to get into the consulate from an adjoining building," the ambassador told reporters. Venezuela has both a consulate and an embassy in the Colombian capital, in separate locations. Gerbasi called the incident "very serious" and said there were "aggressive intentions" against his compatriots, who took refuge in the consulate after Colombian officials conditionally released them January 13. "If anything happens to one of these four Venezuelan citizens, it will be a truly untenable situation," said Gerbasi. He said he had informed Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jose Vicente Rangel of the incident, as well as Colombian Interior Minister Nestor Martinez, who promised to reinforce security in the area. The four Venezuelans-Carlos Pino, Pedro Guzman, Miguel Salazar and Carlos Zambrano-have said they are not guilty of the charges against them, and have requested Colombian officials to expedite their trials so they can go home. They were arrested May 26 in Vichada Department, near the border with Venezuela in southeastern Colombia, during an army operation against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the largest guerrilla group in the country, which is currently engaged in peace talks with the Colombian government. The Venezuelans told investigators they were in Vichada to learn about the Colombian peace process, but were not involved in any crimes attributed to FARC rebels. Copyright 2000 Agence France Presse ________________________________________________________________ **************************************************************** * CLM-NEWS is brought to you by the COLOMBIAN LABOR MONITOR at * * http://www.prairienet.org/clm * * and the CHICAGO COLOMBIA COMMITTEE * * Email us at clm@prairienet.org or * * Dennis Grammenos at dgrammen@prairienet.org * * To subscribe send request to listproc@prairienet.org * * subscribe clm-news Your Name * **************************************************************** ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcov-02.12.00-01:22:47-28006