Lots of stories these days about supposed agreements between the governments of Mireya Moscoso and Martin Torrijos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Martinelli - himself a former member of Moscoso's government - has begun another one of his wacky media offensives to distract from the failures of his own government, and to that end rehashes old news that everybody has known for decades.
It has been a public secret in Panama that to preserve its neutrality and that of the Canal, there was a de facto "live and let live" agreement between the Panamanians and the Colombian rebels, who moved around in the border area and even had a camp there. Former police chief Rolando Mirones stated as much in a piece he wrote already months ago, and yours truly reported about the situation in the Darién almost a decade ago.
Documentary "evidence" supposedly found on the Magic Laptop of Raul Reyes (which earlier proved to be full of fake and counterfeit "documents") connecting the FARC with Moscoso and Torrijos was already published way back when by Colombia's Semana magazine, but that hasn't stopped our own oligarch daily La Prensa from rehashing it as if it is the result of their own investigations, and without mentioning that the supposed "evidence" found on the Raul Reyes laptop is of questionable origin to say the least.
Even if it were all true what the Magic Laptop has to say, it's really not big news, because, as said, silent agreements between FARC and the Panamanian government have been in place for decades, and date back much further than the governments of Torrijos and Moscoso.
And none of this fake scandal brings us any closer to the truth of the real issue these days: Martinelli's own involvement with massive money laundering, the financing of his campaign with drug money and laundering of funds through his businesses. But that is of course the whole purpose of this FARC smokescreen.
Update: Colombia's president Alvaro Uribe says he doesn't know what Martinelli is talking about.
Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus!
I also have an American built bridge for sale cheap over the Panama Canal!
Piles of dirty money that needs to be laundered cheap, just contact your Politicians and Police they have a large laundering Machine(banks & real estate developments), no standing in line!
They ready, willing, and eager to assist you out of your ill gotten funds!
Panama where the numbers never add up!
“Cortina de humo”… distraction tactics …