Friday May 16, 2008
Interpol says no tampering on FARC laptops
By Patrick Markey
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Interpol, the international police agency, said on Thursday documents found on Colombian rebel computers, which Colombia's government charges show that Venezuela and Ecuador supported leftist guerrillas, were authentic.
However, the agency did not verify the contents of the files captured in a Colombian military raid on a Marxist rebel camp in Ecuador in March in which a top guerrilla leader was killed.
Revelations from the three laptops, hard drives and computer data keys are fueling tensions in the Andean region, where Colombian is Washington's closest ally and Venezuela and Ecuador are fierce U.S. critics.
"Interpol concludes there was no tampering with any data," Interpol chief Ronald Noble said through an interpreter in a Bogota news conference. "Our only motive was to find out whether there was any tampering."
Colombia invited Interpol to carry out forensic tests to guarantee it had not tried to manipulate the material found on three laptops and other hardware captured in the raid.
Colombian and U.S. officials, who label the rebels as terrorists, say the documents show Venezuelan officials provided support to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, who are fighting Latin America's oldest insurgency.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States was highly disturbed that Venezuela might be actively aiding the rebels.
"There are serious allegations about Venezuela supplying arms and support to a terrorist organization," he said.
Venezuela and Ecuador dismiss the accusations as false and part of a U.S.-backed campaign to discredit their governments. They say any contacts with rebels were only part of humanitarian efforts to free guerrilla hostages.
"The government of Colombia is capable of provoking a war with Venezuela to justify the intervention of the United States," Chavez said recently. "Whatever they want they will find -- it's ridiculous."
U.S. officials portray Chavez as a threat to regional stability as he pushes his socialist revolution. The former soldier counters Washington wants to oust him.
The computer evidence has generated talk in the U.S. Congress about whether Washington will seek sanctions against Chavez. But analysts say that measure is complicated because Venezuela is a key U.S. oil supplier.
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
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