Why this Blog?

A place where I can lament the changing times; for eccentric comments on current affairs and for unfashionable views, expressed I hope, in cogent style; also occasional cris de coeur largely concerned, I regret to say, with myself.



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Sunday 9 March 2008

A Question of Balance


In my writings on this blog, I do try to be fair and to take a reasonably balanced view of the events on which I report - despite my often vituperative - indeed frequently choleric - style (the "Bandits" series is in my view a deserved exception).

So to conclude the brief run of articles about Señor Chavez, or "Raspberry Beret" as I have christened him, I can report that the affairs in South America have calmed down following a meeting of the main actors in Rio de Janeiro last Friday.

The atmosphere was somewhat frosty, but numerous voltes-face were made and following some rather rigid handshakes, everyone went home, hoping for a peaceful future.

The IHT article contains the following rather interesting statement (the italics are mine):

"The statement notes that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe apologized for the March 1 raid that killed 25 people including a senior rebel commander, and that he pledged not to violate another nation's sovereignty again. But it also committed all the countries to fight threats to national stability from "irregular or criminal groups," a clear reference to Colombia's accusation that its two neighbors have ties to Colombian rebels."

It will be interesting to see if Raspberry Beret and his pal in Ecuador will keep their side of the bargain - after all Chavez has campaigned for FARC's naming as a "terrorist organisation" to be cancelled...

Until the next time

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