Page 12 - aruba-today-20161217

A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 17 december 2016

Pope Francis seeks to unite divided Colombians State plays middleman in exchange
of captives between citizens, cartel
J. GOODMAN excused himself from a de- ing one last year by the
Associated Press bate in the Senate, saying Obama administration, MARK STEVENSON
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) he had to rush to Rome and there is no indication Associated Press
— Pope Francis is doing his to attend a last-minute re- the Vatican can succeed MEXICO CITY (AP) — A state government in southern
part to unite Colombians quest for a meeting with where others have failed. Mexico found itself playing middleman Thursday in ne-
divided by a peace deal the pontiff that came in a Uribe said he was attending gotiations involving a gang of drug traffickers who al-
with leftist rebels by spon- phone call from Cardinal the meeting out of respect ready released a kidnap victim and a band of armed,
soring a surprise meeting Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s for the first Latin American angry citizens who briefly held a crime boss’ mother
on Friday between Presi- secretary of state. He said pope. He gave no indica- seeking to take back control of their lawless, opium-
dent Juan Manuel Santos timing was tight and he tion that he was ready to country town.
and his harshest critic. wasn’t sure he could arrive, make amends with Santos The Guerrero state government sent police to spirit
The government said the so he accepted a Vatican- or drop his argument that away Maria Felix de Almonte Salgado, the mother of
meeting at the Vatican be- chartered private flight. the accord promotes impu- drug gang boss Raybel Jacobo de Almonte, known as
“El Tequilero,” after residents of the town of Totolapan
got a kidnapped businessman back from the gang in
return.
The strange standoff emerged after townspeople tired
of kidnapping, extortion and killings formed an armed
vigilante group and seized Mrs. de Almonte Salgado
and about 20 suspected gang members on Monday,
then posted videos offering them in exchange for Isau-
ro de Paz Duque, a construction engineer abducted
the previous day in an apparent extortion attempt.
Dozens of townspeople greeted a worried-looking de
Paz Duque with cheers as he was released Wednes-
day night in the town square. They then turned de Al-
monte Salgado over to state police, who apparently
handed the humbly dressed woman over to the gang.
The exchange was recorded on a video shot by Guer-
rero state human rights officials.
The state government publicly denied negotiating with
the gang, but it was clear there had been contact.
“The state government intervened as a mediator, not
a negotiator. We didn’t negotiate anything,” Gov.
Hector Astudillo told local media.
On Thursday night, a spokesman for a government co-
Pope Francis meets Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, center, and former President Al- ordination group, said officials were still discussing with
varo Uribe, left, during a meeting at the Vatican, Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. Pope Francis brought Co- the vigilantes about the release of the 20 or so suspect-
lombia’s president and his main political opponent together to discuss the country’s rebel peace ed gang members taken prisoner. Roberto Alvarez He-
deal Friday, making a remarkable personal intervention to seal an accord ending Latin America’s
longest-running conflict. redia, the spokesman, also said the 220 soldiers and
(L’Osservatore Romano/Pool photo via AP) police sent to the area after the confrontation were
conducted an intensive search for the gang boss.
The state government’s willingness to act as an inter-
tween Santos and his right- There was no immediate nity by sparing rebel com- mediary was unusual, especially since it announced
wing predecessor in the comment from the Vati- manders time in jail and in- last week that hundreds of police and soldiers were
presidency, Alvaro Uribe, can. stead awarding them seats searching for El Tequilero in the mountains. Astudillo
came at Francis’ request. Santos, who is on a tour of in congress. also has complained bitterly about the proliferation of
“We celebrate this new op- European capitals after Still, the Vatican has con- such armed vigilante groups and the problems they
portunity for dialogue,” In- receiving this year’s No- siderable leverage in the pose.
terior Minister Juan Fernan- bel Peace Prize in Oslo, staunchly Roman Catholic “One way to see this is as an act of realism,” said Mex-
do Cristo said. “Polariza- already was scheduled to country, especially among ico City security expert Alejandro Hope. “Given the
tion doesn’t help peace; meet with Francis on Fri- Uribe’s conservative base, (government’s) inability to control these illegal groups,
radicalism doesn’t help day and receive a peace and the pope has been the best it can do is to mediate between them.”
peace.” medal at the basilica in As- careful not to appear to be Besides trafficking opium paste, El Tequilero’s gang has
Uribe, the country’s most- sisi from Franciscan monks taking sides in the peace kidnapped, killed and collected ransom and protec-
popular politician, led the on Saturday. process. tion payments from residents.
campaign against San- Santos was defense minis- Although Parolin deliv- The vigilante seizure of the gang leader’s mother ap-
tos’ peace accord with ter under Uribe, when they ered a Mass at the Sep- peared to violate an unwritten rule of Mexico’s drug
the Revolutionary Armed joined forces with the U.S. tember signing ceremony war — that the families of top criminals are generally
Forces of Colombia that to beat back the FARC that Uribe had protested, viewed as off-limits. A recent attack on the home of
resulted in in the deal’s rebels. Uribe helped elect the Vatican rejected a the mother of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Cha-
shock rejection in an Oc- him president, but the two government invitation to po” Guzman occurred when the woman apparently
tober referendum. Santos angrily split shortly after serve on a panel naming wasn’t home. That, and the unusual abduction of two
then introduced several Santos took office in 2010 judges to special peace of Guzman’s sons a few months ago, have been as-
changes to appease his and Uribe accused his for- tribunals that are to judge cribed to internal disputes in the drug cartel.
critics and even sat down mer ally of betraying his war crimes by both rebels Townspeople may have been emboldened by the
for a meeting with Uribe for law-and-order agenda by and state security forces. fact that the Tequileros gang is one of several small,
the first time in six years but seeking negotiations with The pope has also held off relatively rag-tag gangs that dominate the mountains
still failed to win his former the rebels to end Colom- traveling to Colombia until of Guerrero state, and not one of the top-level cartels.
boss’ support when the re- bia’s half-century conflict. the peace process is com- The leader’s mother was humbly dressed in a simple
vised accord was ratified There have been attempts plete, although Santos has skirt and blouse and wore a long braid.q
this month by congress. in the past to bring the said he expects Francis to
Earlier on Thursday, Uribe two men together, includ- visit in early 2017. q