Blog Sections

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Prozac is starting to hit the spot

[Updated]

The good news today is that Ecuador and Colombia managed to negotiate an agreement at the OAS that both could endorse. Quite a feat. Even the US voted for it. The OAS does the first positive acting it has done in years.

All voted to criticize the interference in one country by another one. Of course they would: Latin America history is plagued from across the border raids. Even today, does any one think that, for example, Kirchner has never thought about bombing that paper mill in Uruguay that is causing him so much trouble at home. Of course he did, and of course Tabare Vasquez wondered if there was a way to knock out these pesky Argentineans blocking the bridges. But they would not do it and they would not support ANY country that would do such a thing because, well, that could bite them in the rear real quick.... That is why diplomacy was invented for, something that Chavez will never grasp. No matter how much, say, Alan Garcia approved of Uribe actions, he will never say so in public and received instead Correa with warm hugs. Instead Chavez would open his big mouth in a reverse situation (say, Ecuador rescuing FARC inside Colombia), and that is why he keeps running into more and more trouble and getting more and more isolated tot he attic, like those weird uncles we all have.

So, in spite of the fiery rhetoric, the OAS did what it is supposed to do: cool down the mood and set up a commission to check into the events. Then someday there might be a report to condemn someone, but it will done in an orderly fashion, containing the conflict to manageable proportions until some solution finally comes up. If North Viet Nam and the US managed the Paris talks, I am pretty sure that relations will reopen between Quito and Bogota sooner than what the MSM would like them to.

Another one who seems to have his Prozac function better was Sarkozy. He gave a press conference to Colombian media, something of course that Chavez would never do these days even though Sarkozy is hardly more palatable than Chavez over Colombia these days. In short, Sarkozy did not approve the Colombian raid but added that he certainly understood that Uribe had his reasons... I can imagine the pregnant pause that this must have caused in some LatAm chanceries...

But it got better: Sarkozy said that the FARC had no other option but to release Ingrid Betancourt ASAP if they wanted to preserve any hope to ever be recognized as better than a narco-terrorist organization. That is right, Sarkozy implied that there was no more 300 million payments to the FARC or retreats inside Venezuela and Ecuador: the solution of this whole problem was in the hands of the FARC. That he added that Uribe understood that the solution could not be only military was in fact a reinforcement of the message to the FARC: do the political thing and release Ingrid because if the FARC also choses only the military exit then Uribe might just win.

Update: Two for whom Prozac is not kicking in yet are Chavez and Correa who is visiting tonight. We have a cadena by the way. I doubt Uribe will have five minutes on VTV, but such is the concept of communication in the glorious revolution.... Anyway, they are using the cadena to mostly insult Colombia and treat all of its government of liars and up. Now, as I have expressed earlier, Uribe might be all these things and then some more, but the words of Chavez and Correa tonight raise more questions: why the OAS effort today to again undo it all tonight? why provoking incessantly? Is it enough to state your point of view a couple of times? Why such a sad spectacle where right now as I type I hear Chavez repeating for the nth time that Uribe is a compulsory liar? I mean, if we were doing a liars competition Chavez would be a front runner.....

Again, two ladies protesting way, way too much.... I must say that I am a little bit disappointed in Correa. I had never any positive expectations about Chavez, ever, but I thought that Correa who has been around the world, who has some real education, would understand that the spectacle he is giving tonight is not helping him a bit. As I type right now they are calling some Colombians psychotic and laughing at it as if it were a big joke. In other words, Correa might indeed be a "cachorro" of Chavez. Birds of a feather......

-The end-

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments policy:

1) Comments are moderated after the sixth day of publication. It may take up to a day or two for your note to appear then.

2) Your post will appear if you follow the basic polite rules of discourse. I will be ruthless in erasing, as well as those who replied to any off rule comment.