Peru is able to build warships, says Navy              El Comercio, Ecuador, January 26, 2009

The Peruvian Naval industry is able to build missile frigates, said today Rear Admiral Jason Saavedra, executive director for the Navy’s Industrial Service (SIMA). Saavedra assured that there are possibilities to restart the construction of combat units and help the Peruvian economy, one of the most dynamic in the region. “We were the first Latin-American country to build high board ships. We were, also, the first country to build warships, missile frigates,” reminded Saavedra, who also left the possibility to retake the task with the missile frigates open, in declarations to the state news agency Andina.
more>>  

Colombia will send 27,000 men south
El Comercio, Ecuador, January 26, 2009

The Colombian Government announced that it will create a new military battalion in the frontier with Ecuador. The president of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe, informed that the unit will be elite and will be made up of 27,000 military from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.  “In the next days we will have a Unified Southern Command, like the Unified Northern Command, to advance in civil order issues”, said Uribe during a public event in the city of Pasto, capital of the department (province) of Nariño.  This new brigade will be independent and not part of the battalion in Popayán. “In order to take another step in the recovery of civil order in Nariño and in the frontier zone, I tell my fellow countrymen of Nariño and Putumayo that in the next days there will be a permanent Army brigade,” he assured.
more>>  

Chávez warns there will be “war” if he leaves power
El Universal, Venezuela, January 27, 2009

President Hugo Chávez warned today that “war” will erupt, if the parties which governed in past decades once again occupy the presidency, blocking the continuity of his Bolivarian revolution. “If the opposition reaches power there will be war, that is why it is necessary to guarantee the continuity of the Bolivarian democratic revolutionary process and there is the proposal for a constitutional amendment (which would establish the unlimited presidential re-election)”, he stated. In an event with political activists of the Andean state of Táchira, who support the re-election, the President said that the amendment, which will be submitted to popular consultation on the 15th of February, will open the doors to a “new horizon, a new democratic model.”
more>>  

Peace with the U.S.A, not yet
Tal Cual, Venezuela, January 27, 2009

Foreign minister Nicolás Maduro announced that, in order to improve the diplomatic relations between the U.S.A and Venezuela, and appoint new ambassadors in Caracas and Washington, some time must pass.  “Any step taken regarding the reestablishment of ambassadors by the government of the United States and Venezuela must surely wait a while,” said Maduro in a press conference. “Let’s allow time to pass and see if relations with the new government of the United States can be directed correctly and in the best way possible,” added the official.                                                                     more>>  

DOCUMENT

Like going to a 'fiesta' - the role of female fighters in Colombia's FARC-EP. Small Wars & Insurgencies Vol. 19, No.4, December 2008, 609 -634                                  Natalia Herrera, FIP

Prepared by: Mariana Caramagna Natalia Herrera

<<To stop receiving this newsletter <<Click here>>