Colombia-US-Scandal
9-28-1995
^By ANDREW SELSKY=
^Associated Press Writer=
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) _ The U.S. government denounced Colombian officials Thursday for linking Washington to an alleged conspiracy to destabilize Colombia as doubts emerged about an attack on President Ernesto Samper's attorney.
The trading of accusations exposed rising tensions between the United States and Colombia amid allegations that Samper won the 1994 elections with Cali drug cartel money.
A witness to Wednesday's attack said gunmen pulled attorney Antonio Jose Cancino out of a car, then let him go while firing into the air.
The account, published in El Tiempo, Colombia's most widely read daily newspaper, raises the question of whether the attack was really an attempt on Cancino's life or a deadly charade. Cancino was lightly wounded and two bodyguards were killed.
Interior Minister Horacio Serpa, who was a senior Samper campaign official, said U.S. officials were out to destabilize Colombia. Serpa even hinted that U.S. officials could have been indirectly responsible for the attack. However, late Thursday he seemed to backpeddle from his initial accusations.
He had said Wednesday that the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration "are part of a conspiracy against the president."
The DEA rejected Serpa's "bizarre theories of conspiracies."
"We do not appreciate the scandalous comments of Mr. Serpa," the DEA said from its Arlington, Va., headquarters.
State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said the United States was "outraged" by Colombian officials' allegations of a conspiracy and warned the "appalling behavior" threatened U.S.-Colombian relations.
"These statements appear to be an attempt by the Colombian government to deflect attention away from ongoing investigations into charges of narcotics corruption," Burns said in Washington.
Attorney General Janet Reno denied U.S. officials were behind "the cowardly and regrettable attack" on Cancino or were involved in efforts to destabilize Colombia.
Serpa denied accusing the DEA of involvement in the attack on Cancino or accusing the U.S. government of masterminding a plot to destabilize the government.
"We are extremely pleased that the United States government has not become involved at all in the internal affairs of our country," Serpa said, backtracking Thursday.
However, when asked by a reporter Wednesday whether the DEA was involved in a conspiracy, Serpa said: "It seems like that to me."
The witness to Wednesday's attack told El Tiempo he saw two gunmen haul Cancino from his blue Mercedes.
"He kicked and shouted things I wasn't able to hear," said the witness, who was not identified. One of the gunmen slipped, and the other let go of Cancino who began running.
"While the man ran like crazy, the two guys looked at him and then fired their weapons into the air. It looked like one of those movies where the bad guys want to scare someone," the witness said.
Gen. Jose Serrano, national police director, said he did not know why the assailants didn't kill Cancino. He theorized that, because Cancino was driving the car, the gunmen didn't recognize him and thought he was just the chauffeur.
Cancino was recovering in a military hospital from wounds to his right arm and hand.
Samper's office said leftist rebels were prime suspects in the attack but that drug traffickers or paramilitary groups also were suspects.
Enrique Parejo, a former justice minister and anti-drug crusader, speculated the attack was the work of the Cali cartel, or an "effort to take attention away from the scandal around the president."
Assistant Prosecutor General Adolfo Salamanca, meanwhile, called "irresponsible" a statement from the presidency accusing the prosecutor general's office of creating a climate of unrest.
A probe by the prosecutor general's office into whether Samper's 1994 election campaign was funded by the Cali cartel, the world's biggest drug trafficking syndicate, has led to the arrests of three senior campaign officials. Samper has denied any knowledge that drug money financed his campaign.
Prosecutor General Alfonso Valdivieso, in the United States this week, is expected to seek U.S. cooperation in sharing evidence the DEA has obtained from Cali cartel accountant Guillermo Pallomari, who surrendered to U.S. officials weeks ago.
Samper said he will "not permit" the United States to investigate him, RCN radio reported. The president did not elaborate.
^By ANDREW SELSKY=
^Associated Press Writer=
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) _ The U.S. government denounced Colombian officials Thursday for linking Washington to an alleged conspiracy to destabilize Colombia as doubts emerged about an attack on President Ernesto Samper's attorney.
The trading of accusations exposed rising tensions between the United States and Colombia amid allegations that Samper won the 1994 elections with Cali drug cartel money.
A witness to Wednesday's attack said gunmen pulled attorney Antonio Jose Cancino out of a car, then let him go while firing into the air.
The account, published in El Tiempo, Colombia's most widely read daily newspaper, raises the question of whether the attack was really an attempt on Cancino's life or a deadly charade. Cancino was lightly wounded and two bodyguards were killed.
Interior Minister Horacio Serpa, who was a senior Samper campaign official, said U.S. officials were out to destabilize Colombia. Serpa even hinted that U.S. officials could have been indirectly responsible for the attack. However, late Thursday he seemed to backpeddle from his initial accusations.
He had said Wednesday that the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration "are part of a conspiracy against the president."
The DEA rejected Serpa's "bizarre theories of conspiracies."
"We do not appreciate the scandalous comments of Mr. Serpa," the DEA said from its Arlington, Va., headquarters.
State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said the United States was "outraged" by Colombian officials' allegations of a conspiracy and warned the "appalling behavior" threatened U.S.-Colombian relations.
"These statements appear to be an attempt by the Colombian government to deflect attention away from ongoing investigations into charges of narcotics corruption," Burns said in Washington.
Attorney General Janet Reno denied U.S. officials were behind "the cowardly and regrettable attack" on Cancino or were involved in efforts to destabilize Colombia.
Serpa denied accusing the DEA of involvement in the attack on Cancino or accusing the U.S. government of masterminding a plot to destabilize the government.
"We are extremely pleased that the United States government has not become involved at all in the internal affairs of our country," Serpa said, backtracking Thursday.
However, when asked by a reporter Wednesday whether the DEA was involved in a conspiracy, Serpa said: "It seems like that to me."
The witness to Wednesday's attack told El Tiempo he saw two gunmen haul Cancino from his blue Mercedes.
"He kicked and shouted things I wasn't able to hear," said the witness, who was not identified. One of the gunmen slipped, and the other let go of Cancino who began running.
"While the man ran like crazy, the two guys looked at him and then fired their weapons into the air. It looked like one of those movies where the bad guys want to scare someone," the witness said.
Gen. Jose Serrano, national police director, said he did not know why the assailants didn't kill Cancino. He theorized that, because Cancino was driving the car, the gunmen didn't recognize him and thought he was just the chauffeur.
Cancino was recovering in a military hospital from wounds to his right arm and hand.
Samper's office said leftist rebels were prime suspects in the attack but that drug traffickers or paramilitary groups also were suspects.
Enrique Parejo, a former justice minister and anti-drug crusader, speculated the attack was the work of the Cali cartel, or an "effort to take attention away from the scandal around the president."
Assistant Prosecutor General Adolfo Salamanca, meanwhile, called "irresponsible" a statement from the presidency accusing the prosecutor general's office of creating a climate of unrest.
A probe by the prosecutor general's office into whether Samper's 1994 election campaign was funded by the Cali cartel, the world's biggest drug trafficking syndicate, has led to the arrests of three senior campaign officials. Samper has denied any knowledge that drug money financed his campaign.
Prosecutor General Alfonso Valdivieso, in the United States this week, is expected to seek U.S. cooperation in sharing evidence the DEA has obtained from Cali cartel accountant Guillermo Pallomari, who surrendered to U.S. officials weeks ago.
Samper said he will "not permit" the United States to investigate him, RCN radio reported. The president did not elaborate.
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