Columbian President Linked to Escobar

[str8ballin]

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, one of the Bush administration's most steadfast allies in South America, was allegedly a "close personal friend" of slain drug lord Pablo Escobar and worked for his Medellin cartel, according to a newly released U.S. military intelligence report.



The 1991 report by the Defense Intelligence Agency describes Uribe, then a rising political star in Colombia, as being "dedicated to collaboration" with the Medellin cartel, at the time the world's richest criminal organization and the source of most cocaine imported into the United States.



The memo devotes a single paragraph to Uribe and his alleged narcotics involvement, listing him 82nd among 104 of the "more important Colombian narco-traffickers."



The potentially explosive allegations about Uribe, who was elected president in 2002, drew strong repudiation from the Colombian government, the State Department and the Pentagon.



All three groups described the memo, released to a nonprofit research group under a public-records request, as uncorroborated information contradicted by Uribe's record of strong support for efforts to wipe out cocaine in Colombia and extradite Colombian drug suspects to the United States.



Under Uribe, Colombia's coca crop, the source of cocaine, has dropped by more than 50 percent due to intense spraying by U.S.-funded fumigation efforts. More than 160 suspected drug traffickers have been indicted, U.S. defense officials said.



"We completely disavow these allegations against President Uribe," said Robert Zimmerman, deputy spokesman for the State Department's Western Hemisphere Affairs Bureau. "We have no credible information that substantiates or corroborates the allegations."



The document was obtained by the National Security Archives, a nonprofit research group in Washington.

[Woodman]

::Clasps face, gasping in wide-eyed expression of disbelief::



NOoo!!!



The president, of Columbia ...linked to a Drug Dealer?



Who would have even suspected?



Hey that reminds me: wasn't there some political rivalry in S America in '88-'89 where a presidential candidate was assasinated ...IN FRONT OF NEWS CAMERAS?



... what country was that?

[str8ballin]

The United States rushed to the defense of Columbian President Alvaro Uribe on Monday after a declassified 1991 U.S. military intelligence report linked him to powerful drug traffickers more than a decade ago.



The State Department and Pentagon made strong statements in support of Uribe,who is an ally in the war on drugs."We completely disavow the allegations about Uribe.Its not credible information," State Department spokesman Robert Zimmerman said Monday.



The document was prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency 13 years ago.

[nikonikad]

I do not believe that the US is colaborating with one of Escobars friends, the US has killed Escobar because they thought that he was a leftist.

[P!MPJU!C3]

Gsus man u really believe that. Do u know nothing of US foreign policies? They helped military government in places like Chile. Governments responsible 4 killing thousands of civilians. The US even supported Saddam in his war against Iran. Trust me, if the US government gets a chance 2 turn a blind eye if it spares them some effort. They will.

[nikonikad]

we all know only a small part of the policies of the last Super Power, but i read a the bibligraphy of pablo escobar (Killing Pablo), He made big efforts to make agreements with the U.S. but they do not accept, they prefer led a 5 year long war against him and his organization, you know that Pablos men Killed a lot of DEA agents, even after his death a hole squad who killed Pablo, was killed. I do not believe that the U.S. works to gether with former enemys, so far i know they never did it.