Open Letter to International Community: The signers of this document want to let the world know that self-named Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) - FARC, in more than 40 years of terrorism: Have killed tens of thousands of Colombian citizens. Have off-trial executed hundreds of Colombian citizens. Have kidnapped thousands of Colombian citizens. Have attacked tens of towns in our country. Have performed tens of terrorist attacks to civilian...

Washington, D.C. - The international community should strongly back the efforts of prosecutors in the human rights unit of the Honduras Attorney General’s office to investigate army and police abuses in Honduras and to overturn a decree by the de facto government that severely restricts freedoms of speech and assembly, Human Rights Watch said today. The organization also called on the international community to oppose any amnesty for human rights violations as part of the transition back...

Aitor Elizaran Aguilar is a joint political chief of the group, Spanish anti-terrorism experts say. He was arrested with another senior member, Oihana San Vicente, in the north-western seaside town of Carnac. Eta is blamed for more than 820 deaths during its 41-year campaign for an independent Basque homeland. Spain and France have been working closely to crack down on the separatists. The pair were reported to be carrying handguns at the time of their arrest, officials said. Mr Elizaran is...

The Colombian and Ecuadorean military are still cooperating in the fight against the FARC despite the diplomatic crisis between Bogota and Quito, Colombian military commander Freddy Padilla de Leon said Wednesday. The armed forces of Colombia and Ecuador are still communicating and working together "on different levels" despite the freezing of all diplomatic ties after Colombia bombed a FARC camp on Ecuadorean territory without warning the Ecuadorean authorities in March 2008, the...

The Colombian government's 41-year war against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) has become increasingly dangerous for children. The group is looking more and more at child soldiers - boys and girls below the age of 18 - as it seeks to recruit new fighters. The Colombian government says there are 9,000 soldiers in that age group in irregular armies, but independent sources say the number is closer to 11,000. Source:

Head of Iran-Brazil Friendship Association Mir Qassem Momeni told FNA that Ahmadinejad's visit is aimed at a discussion of bilateral and international relations. The Iranian president's first visit to the Latin American state had been scheduled to take place before the end of his first term but it was later postponed to another date. Momeni further said that during the upcoming visit to Brazil by the Iranian president, the two sides will discuss economic and cultural issues, expansion...

Carlos Saúl Menem, an ex-president of Argentina who is currently a senator in the South American republic, was accused on October 1 in Buenos Aires of obstruction of justice charges for his alleged part in covering up the so-called "Syrian connection" and Iranian involvement in the 1994 car-bombing that killed 85 people and injured hundreds more at the Jewish Mutual Association of Argentina (AMIA). Also brought to trial were Menem's brother Munir, police officials Jorge...

QUITO - Venezuela plans to donate a fleet of combat planes to Ecuador, local media reported on Tuesday. TV Ecuavisa quoted Ecuadorian military sources as saying that Venezuela would donate Ecuador a fleet of Mirage-50 planes made in the 1970s, a kind of planes that the Ecuadorian Air Force also has. Ecuadorian authorities made no comments on the report, which came at a time when Ecuador is strengthening its military equipments for territorial defense, mainly at the border with Colombia. ...

An Argentine judge has indicted the country’s former President Carlos Menem for allegedly trying to cover up evidence related to the bombing of the AMIA center in Buenos Aires in 1994, in which 85 people were killed. In a written statement, the judge said Menem had covered up what was called at the time "the Syrian connection". The former previously denied any wrongdoing. The judge accused Menem of covering up and destroying evidence, and abusing his authority. His brother,...

La Paz: Bolivia has planned purchase of six Karakoram VIII planes from Pakistan while its government has allocated 57.8 million US dollars for the purpose, Geo news reported on Friday. Bolivia government made this decision following a long span of consultation within government officials and allocated $57.8 million. The Karakoram VIII planes were produced by Pak-China joint cooperation, which Bolivian government intends to use for anti-drugs operation while those planes could also offer...