Comments on: A “Rescue” Staged for the Screen http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/07/a-%e2%80%9crescue%e2%80%9d-staged-for-the-screen/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:19:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Michael Kenny http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/07/a-%e2%80%9crescue%e2%80%9d-staged-for-the-screen/#comment-24012 Michael Kenny Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:22:33 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=2312#comment-24012 I can add some more details to the ransom story from last night’s Swiss TV news. $500 000 was handed over to FARC in Costa Rica by the Swiss government’s official representative, Geneva Professor Jean-Pierre Gontard. 500K is peanuts in terms of the international arms black market, so the amount must be regarded as symbolic. In addition, the Colombians have now more or less kicked Gontard and his French colleague out of the country, which tends to comfirm the story. A plausible scenario: Bettancourt was kidnapped in order to exchange her for something. She was becoming a PR disaster for FARC, which would get worse if she died and worse again if they killed her. So they decided to get rid of her for the best price they could get. The French and the Swiss were willing to pay but Cano’s problem was whether the local commander who was actually holding her would let her go. So they came up with this stunt. Cano calls the local commander to tell him what to do and, to cover him, this is later presented as someone imitating his voice. Uribe is kept out of the loop but gets wind of it and threatens to blow the whole thing if he is not let in on the show. The operation goes off as planned but Uribe, furious, kicks the two foreigners out. That seems to account for all the known facts and leaves no loose ends. I can add some more details to the ransom story from last night’s Swiss TV news. $500 000 was handed over to FARC in Costa Rica by the Swiss government’s official representative, Geneva Professor Jean-Pierre Gontard. 500K is peanuts in terms of the international arms black market, so the amount must be regarded as symbolic. In addition, the Colombians have now more or less kicked Gontard and his French colleague out of the country, which tends to comfirm the story.

A plausible scenario: Bettancourt was kidnapped in order to exchange her for something. She was becoming a PR disaster for FARC, which would get worse if she died and worse again if they killed her. So they decided to get rid of her for the best price they could get. The French and the Swiss were willing to pay but Cano’s problem was whether the local commander who was actually holding her would let her go. So they came up with this stunt. Cano calls the local commander to tell him what to do and, to cover him, this is later presented as someone imitating his voice. Uribe is kept out of the loop but gets wind of it and threatens to blow the whole thing if he is not let in on the show. The operation goes off as planned but Uribe, furious, kicks the two foreigners out. That seems to account for all the known facts and leaves no loose ends.

]]> By: Giorgio http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/07/a-%e2%80%9crescue%e2%80%9d-staged-for-the-screen/#comment-23958 Giorgio Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:27:53 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=2312#comment-23958 What a murky world! Any spin doctoring will do to boost McCain's prez prospects and the US's 'popularity' in Latin America .... The news I got here was that Israel was also involved in the operation. Aren't they such jolly goodfellows? Nicolas Sarkosy got also a popularity boost...he was great embracing Ingrid while his 'faire du frou-frou' wife looked on smiling... It amazes me that such a singular event could make so many jerks look good. Voilà! One positive result, though, Ingrid got her freedom! What a murky world!
Any spin doctoring will do to boost McCain’s prez prospects and the US’s ‘popularity’ in Latin America ….
The news I got here was that Israel was also involved in the operation.
Aren’t they such jolly goodfellows?
Nicolas Sarkosy got also a popularity boost…he was great embracing Ingrid while his ‘faire du frou-frou’ wife looked on smiling…
It amazes me that such a singular event could make so many jerks look good.
Voilà! One positive result, though, Ingrid got her freedom!

]]> By: Michael Kenny http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/07/a-%e2%80%9crescue%e2%80%9d-staged-for-the-screen/#comment-23951 Michael Kenny Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:08:25 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=2312#comment-23951 The Swiss press reports that a ransom was paid. Ingrid Bettancourt was rapidly becoming a martyr and thereby, a liability for FARC, so I would guess that they were glad to be rid of her. Whatever the truth, guerilla movements are always in need of money (although FARC is said to be financed by the Cali drug cartel). The Swiss press reports that a ransom was paid. Ingrid Bettancourt was rapidly becoming a martyr and thereby, a liability for FARC, so I would guess that they were glad to be rid of her. Whatever the truth, guerilla movements are always in need of money (although FARC is said to be financed by the Cali drug cartel).

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