| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Swiss Envoy's Relationship With FARC Under Investigation |
| 2008-07-18 |
| From the pages of Die Weltwoche comes news that Jean-Pierre Gontard, the special envoy from the Switzerland Ministry of Foreign Affairs whom the Colombian government invited to assist in hostage negotations with FARC, is now under investigation himself. Information developed from the computer of Raul Reyes, the FARC senior commander killed by Colombian troops on May 1, implies that Gontard was a FARC sympathizer and provides details of strategic advice that Gontard gave to Reyes in meetings in 2004. From a recent DW article translated into English: "The Swiss professor reportedly tells Reyes that a FARC demand for one hundred million dollars in exchange for a six month ceasefire is realistic. And verbatim: 'He says that Ingrid is a jewel [una joya] in the hands of the FARC, because she is very important for the French government.' According to the e-mail, Gontard suggests to the FARC that as a first step they could exchange kidnapped Colombian army personnel and politicians against captured guerrilleros. Then, as a second step, they could arrange to set free Ingrid and four other hostages under the patronage of Switzerland and France. In exchange, the UN would provide the FARC a platform in Geneva. On Gontard's estimation, this would amount to recognition of the organization as party to an armed conflict." Die Weltwoche also reports that President Uribe personally criticized Gontard upon release of the emails in the Reyes computer. "(O)n 27 June 2008, just a few days before the army freed Ingrid Betancourt, a hostile encounter took place in Bogota between Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and the two negotiators, Jean-Pierre Gontard and his French counterpart Noël Saez. Uribe brought up the e-mails with the two negotiators and sharply criticized them: "That's bad, very bad!" Uribe was particularly outraged by the meetings that the two "mediators" held with Reyes behind his back (meetings made public two weeks ago by Die Weltwoche)." The most explosive charge against Gontard was made on July 5 by the Colombian Defense Minister, that Gontard served as a courier for FARC, bringing in $500,000 for its use in another hostage matter. The Swiss ambassador to Colombia has denied the charge in this translated interview in El Tiempo. Whether Colombia prosecutes Gontard or not, the episode is another example of how Switzerland sometimes "dances with the devil." See Olivier Guitta's post on the Swiss Foreign Minister's siding with Iran and my post last December on the Swiss' dropping all charges against Yassin al-Qadi, designated by the U.S. in 2001 for his activities as an Al Qaeda financier. |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #3 Sounds like the Colombians are going to take another route. The Colombian Necktie. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-07-18 14:54 |
| #2 "The Swiss professor reportedly tells Reyes that a FARC demand for one hundred million dollars in exchange for a six month ceasefire is realistic." So, Jean-Pierre, is their a finders fee? Consultant fee? Or do you take your end right off the top? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-07-18 13:17 |
| #1 Of course, Gontard will continue to maintain that hie defense is as solid as cheese - Swiss cheese. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2008-07-18 13:13 |