Word: colombia
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...know where they were headed when their Bell 212 helicopter took off from Bogotá at dawn. The pilot had been given the top-secret coordinates minutes before takeoff, but not even he was sure of the destination. Suddenly the flag of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (F.A.R.C.), the oldest, largest and bloodiest of the country's numerous antigovernment guerrilla groups, was sighted in the jungle below. This time, however, the flag signified the making of history, not war. In a small clearing in the Alto de la Mesa rain forest, F.A.R.C. guerrillas and the government...
Nevertheless, integrating hardened former guerrillas into Colombian society could prove difficult. Some government authorities have already expressed concern privately over F.A.R.C.'s reputed involvement in Colombia's $5 billion-a-year cocaine business. For their part, Colombian dope czars are indignant about charges of being connected to the guerrillas. "You can accuse me of being a narcotics dealer," huffed Billionaire Pablo Escobar, "but to say I'm in league with the guerrillas, well, that really hurts my personal dignity...
...other armed movements will follow F.A.R.C.'s example and negotiate similar agreements with the government remains to be seen. These include the 200-man, Castro-backed Army of National Liberation (E.L.N.), and the 275-member Maoist Popular Liberation Army (E.P.L.). Together with F.A.R.C., these groups are blamed for Colombia's leading the world in kidnapings during each of the past two years (183 in 1982 and 215 last year). Another problem is how to control right-wing death squadrons like the Death to Kidnapers (M.A.S.) group. Last year these squads were held responsible for the killing and disappearance...
...Treasury announced a $500 million deal; it was the most unusual and complex rescue package put together since the debt crisis began in August 1982. Four Latin American countries provided $300 million to help Argentina meet its payments. The contributors included Mexico ($100 million), Venezuela ($100 million), Colombia ($50 million) and Brazil ($50 million). All except Colombia have big debt problems of their own. In addition, the major banks, led by New York City's Citicorp, offered $100 million in new loans, and Argentina agreed to kick in $100 million from its own reserves...
...Este conference broke up on Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury was taking the lead in hammering out the details of a rescue plan. For the next 48 hours, negotiators and financial technicians worked almost round the clock in both Buenos Aires and Washington. Representatives of Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia joined in by telephone...