Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY 7 NOV 2015

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UP FRONTSaturday 7 November 2015

Colombia president apologizes for 1985 raid of high court

JOSHUA GOODMAN ceremony to mark the 30th the building during the 48- plea to armed rebels and el movement and the gov-
Associated Press anniversary of the deadly hour standoff. government forces 30 years ernment’s heavy-handed
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) siege, one of the darkest The president apologized ago: “Stop the gunfire,” response stand out be-
— President Juan Manuel chapters in Colombia’s re- by name to each of their Santos said. “Stop the gun- cause the events occurred
Santos apologized Friday cent history. He was acting families and vowed to fire in Colombia forever.” in the very heart of Colom-
for Colombia’s actions dur- in accordance with a rul- spare no effort to locate Even in a country long ac- bian democracy.
ing a 1985 army raid on the ing last year by the Inter- the remains of those whose customed to political vio- Almost universally Colombi-
Supreme Court in which American Court of Human whereabouts are still un- lence including assassina- ans refer to the incident as
nearly 100 people were Rights condemning the known. He also used the tions, civilian massacres a “holocaust,” for the blaze
killed after the building was state for the disappear- occasion to urge a deal to and the extermination of that consumed the night
taken hostage by guerrillas. ance of 12 people, most end Colombia’s decades- thousands of leftist activists, sky after troops backed by
Santos spoke at the rebuilt of them cafeteria workers, old conflict, echoing the the attack on the court by tanks and bombs stormed
Palace of Justice during a who were taken alive from Supreme Court president’s the now-defunct M-19 reb- the building.q

Cuba’s Raul Castro visits Mexico to renew relations

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, right, talks with Cuba’s President Raul Castro during an private discussions. mit in the Mexican resort
official welcome ceremony at the Yucatan state government palace in Merida, Mexico, Friday, “We also welcome the city of Cancun in 2010, but
Nov. 6, 2015. Castro has arrived for his first state visit to Mexico to review a relationship between interest of Mexican com- it was not a state visit.
longtime allies that grew chilly at the beginning of the century. panies to do business and Among the accords an-
invest in Cuba, particularly nounced Friday is a memo-
(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) in the special development randum of understanding
zone of Mariel and in sec- to “guarantee the legal,
E. EDUARDO CASTILLO Mexican President Enrique Most important, he added, tors such as agriculture and orderly and safe flow of mi-
Associated Press Pena Nieto announced is re-establishing the “af- tourism,” Castro said on gration” between the two
MERIDA, Mexico (AP) — agreements to fight human fection, respect and admi- what was his first state visit countries, and to “prevent
The presidents of Mexico trafficking and exchang- ration that both countries to Mexico. and combat human traf-
and Cuba stressed mutual es in tourism, education historically have had for However no specific com- ficking” and related crimes.
interests and admiration on and business designed to each other.” mitments or investment The Mexican government
Friday, announcing new increase Mexican invest- Pena Nieto greeted Cuba’s plans were announced. has not provided details
accords and closer politi- ment in Cuba, as well as “a Raul Castro at the Yucatan Pena Nieto has made clear of the agreement, but it
cal ties after more than a dialogue at the highest po- state government palace that he wants to renew comes as increasing num-
decade of chilly relations. litical levels.” in Merida, where they held Mexico’s historically close bers of Cuban migrants
ties with Cuba. His Institu- are arriving in the nation’s
tional Revolutionary Party, south.
which ruled for 71 years be- Migration statistics show
fore losing the presidency that from January to Sep-
in 2000, maintained a re- tember of this year, 6,447
spectful relationship with Cubans were stopped for
Cuba’s communist govern- not having proper docu-
ment despite U.S. pressure mentation to be in Mexico,
to cut off ties. twice the number for all of
In 2002, after traveling to 2014.
Mexico for a U.N. confer- The normalization of rela-
ence in Monterrey, Cuba’s tions between Cuba and
then-President Fidel Castro the United States could ul-
accused Vicente Fox, a timately lead to the elimi-
conservative National Ac- nation of the automatic
tion party politician who refugee status that Cu-
had become president two bans enjoy as soon as they
years earlier, of telling him reach U.S. soil. Many Cu-
to leave. bans hope to get to the
Raul Castro, who assumed United States before their
Cuba’s presidency from his privileged migratory status
brother in 2006, participat- ends. q
ed in a Latin America sum-

Mine dams burst in Brazil; 2 dead, homes covered in mud

CRISTIANA MESQUITA 13 were missing. vors described as an erup- of the state prosecutor’s of- About 100 of the nearly
Associated Press The rupture unleashed a tion of mud. fice and Minas Gerais state 600 people thought to live
MARIANA, Brazil (AP) — mix of water and mining Residents said no alarms Gov. Fernando Pimen- in the area have yet to be
Rescuers on Friday spirited residue on a village 4 miles sounded to warn them tel said two people died, accounted for.
survivors out of a mountain- (7 kilometers) downhill, about the dam break though the state fire de- Speaking at a news con-
ous area of southeastern smothering the enclave of Thursday afternoon, but partment had confirmed ference Friday, Pimentel
Brazil that was flooded with Bento Rodrigues. they scrambled for higher only one death so far. The called it “a terrible scene,
a sea of viscous, clay-red Only about 10 of the vil- ground after hearing a department said four peo- an environmental trage-
mud after two dams burst lage’s around 200 houses deafening burst. Officials ple were injured and an- dy” and said the accident
at an iron ore mine. Offi- were left standing, and have not said what caused other 13 missing, though it was the “biggest natural
cials said two people were cars and other objects the breach. warned that the latter fig- disaster in the history of our
killed, four were injured and were tossed by what survi- Guilherme de Sa Meneghin ure could rise. state.”q