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Seized Farc documents 'are genuine'

May 15 2008

Seized Farc documents 'are genuine'

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By Agencies

Senior Farc commander Raul Reyes, left, was killed in the March raid [AFP]
Interpol, the global police agency, has said that documents on laptop computers found following a Colombian attack on a Farc rebel base in Ecuador in March were not tampered with.

Colombia alleges the documents show that Venezuela and Ecuador aided the group, but both nations say the claims are a US-backed smear campaign.

"Interpol concludes there was no alteration," the agency's secretary-general, Ronald Noble, said on Thursday following the release of a report into the seizure.

The agency said it was not in its remit to assess the validity of Colombia's allegations against Venezuela.

The three laptop computers, two external hard drives and three USB memory sticks were found after Colombian forces raided a Farc camp in Ecuador on March 1, killing senior Farc leader Raul Reyes and several other rebels.

Interpol said Colombian authorities did not always follow internationally accepted methods for handling computer evidence but did not modify, delete or create any user files.

Regional crisis

Colombia had invited Interpol to perform forensic tests on the three laptops and other hardware taken from the camp following the raid after accusations from Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, that the documents were fakes.

Chavez has denied arming or funding the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), although he has urged the Colombian government to negotiate with the group.

The cross-border raid in March ignited a regional diplomatic crisis between Colombia and neighbouring Ecuador and Venezuela, who sent troops to their borders following the incident.

The Farc has been fighting a civil war against the Colombian government for decades. Thousands have died in the conflict.