Colombian Defense Minister says ties with Israel strong and growing stronger

[Ghelp]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080207/capt.jrl10102070921.mideast_israel_palestinians_colombia_jrl101.jpg

Israel's President Shimon Peres, left, shakes hands with Colombia's Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos during their meeting in Jerusalem, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008. Santos is on an official visit to the region

JERUSALEM (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/07/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Colombia.php#): Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday praised his country's long defense relationship with Israel, saying he sought to boost it further by setting up a bilateral fund for technological research and development.

Hosting Santos at his official Jerusalem residence, Israeli President Shimon Peres said that in the 1950s, Colombia defied international embargoes to ship weapons to the newly created Jewish state, a statement from Peres' office said.

"In recent years the situation has come full circle, and Israel is able to repay Colombia in kind," it quoted Peres as saying, without elaborating.
Israel does not publish details of its arms exports but local media reports have said it is a major supplier of military hardware and expertise to Colombia.

The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot wrote last week that Israel has been supplying Bogota with drone aircraft, arms, ammunition and electronic equipment for use in combatting the country's drug lords, quoting the Colombian weekly Semana as saying that Santos had confirmed that Israeli advisers had been working with his men.



"I have come to strengthen cooperation, not only in the defense field but in every area," Peres' office quoted Santos as saying.
Israeli government data list overall exports to Colombia last year as worth $151 million (€104 million).

During a fall trip by Santos to Washington, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called on Congress to extend a freeze of $55 million (€38 million) in military assistance to Colombia and ask the minister to explain what the groups called a steep rise in reports of illegal executions by the country's military.

Information on Santos' visit to Israel was scanty. The Colombian Embassy in Israel said only that he arrived Sunday and was scheduled to return home on Friday.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry referred inquiries to the Defense Ministry, where officials said Santos had met his Israeli host Ehud Barak but gave no details of their talks.

One issue the two were expected to discuss was the fate of a former Israeli army officer wanted by Colombia for training the country's right-wing death squads.

Yair Klein, a former lieutenant colonel, was detained last August at a Moscow airport on an arrest warrant issued by Interpol. Bogota is seeking his extradition.

A Colombian judge convicted and sentenced Klein in his absence to 10 years in prison for his role in the 1980s training of far-right paramilitary groups responsible for mass murder and widespread land theft. Klein and two other Israelis are also accused of training the private army of druglord Pablo Escobar, shot dead by police in 1993.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/07/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Colombia.php

[Van Gogh]

this is good news to wake up to. thanks for the read. p-)

[Ghelp]

Colombian minister: We want to strengthen relations with Israel
Notwithstanding anti-Israel sentiment in different parts of the world, Israel is not exactly a nation that dwells alone, as evidenced by the ongoing stream of visits by senior government representatives from around the globe.

Colombian Defense Minister Juan Santos made it very clear when he met with President Shimon Peres on Thursday that Colombia not only values its long-standing friendship with Israel, but wants to strengthen the relationship through enhanced cooperation on every level, especially in the fields of security and trade.

Santos told Peres how much his country admires Israel, and disclosed that the main purpose for his visit here was to establish a joint Israel-Colombia technological research and development fund.

He said that he also intended to meet government officials and people from the private sector who are involved in international trade and commerce with a view to upgrading bilateral trade relations.
As is the case with nearly all foreign dignitaries who visit Beit Hanassi, the conversation quickly turned to terrorism.

Santos expressed concern at the recent escalation of terrorism not only in the Middle East, but worldwide, a lot of which he attributed to the relations between Iran and Venezuela. Within the context of the discussion on terrorism, Santos spoke warmly of the cooperation that exists between the defense establishments of Israel and Colombia in their common desire to eliminate terrorism.


Peres recalled his first visit to Colombia 56 years ago when serving as head of Israel's defense delegation in the US. Moreover, he revealed, Israel has every reason to be grateful to Colombia which in the early years of the state was willing to supply Israel with a great deal of arms when it was difficult to acquire them elsewhere.

Colombia stood firm with Israel during a period when other countries imposed an arms embargo, said Peres, and this was not something that Israel was likely to forget.
In recent years, he added, there has been the closing of a circle in that when Colombia needed Israel's support, Israel was able to give it.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1202246346822&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[jango]

well they are using the tavor. I think that they may be after more gear from israel.

[sansny]

wow!!! did not know that Colombia gave weapons to Israel during the 1950s.

Thanks to our brothers in arms!!!

Israel and Colombia together to end terrorism!

[Ordie]

wow!!! did not know that Colombia gave weapons to Israel during the 1950s.

Thanks to our brothers in arms!!!

Israel and Colombia together to end terrorism!

Israel has been an arms supplier to many Latin American countries. More specifically during the Carter administration where US arms were barred to Latin America on the premise of human rights.

Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay just to name a few.

One asset that Colombia could use is the Phalcon AEW system. That will make the Colombian Air Force a well rounded fleet.