Colombia article comtinued/
Now, new factors have appeared on the Colombian scene: the United States is interested in building a new canel to replace the cbsclete Panama Canal - which becomes “oth economically and politically more difficult to eperate. But the imperislists have sworn (and these sre their very words) "thet we will not commit the same orrors as in Canal number 1 (Panama). Canal mmber 2 (Colombia) will not be in the hands of the communisis"™*, Thus they have imposed a treaty on the Colombian oligarchy by means of which the United States will have the right to invade Colombia if the private investments of the USA are in danger. As a second step, they ordered the Colombian Minister of War, (Ruiz Novea), to attack the free zones of the country. It must be emphasised that these zones have never been and are not a tienace to the country, but at the same time, their population is determined to defend them, even at theccost of their lives,
In the last few months, Jmerican military missions have been very active: new"adviscrs" come from South Vietnam and a large sum (30 million dollars, as a first instalment) has been granted to the armed forces of Colombia. New anti-guerillsa techniques are being developed, and new types of weapon arc in use. Marquetala, a 2,000 square mile region, located in the Tolima department was chosen as the first target. lLeter they will attack the other zones, such as Sumapaz, Pato, Hiochigquito, and others. But Marquetala has already been attacked four times and remains unconquered: hew armed groups spring up every day, and in a recent angagement, 75 soldiera were killed, and 150 injured. Jmerican "counsellors" have used in Marquetsla even bacteriological war, {reported in Vistazo, a Chilean weekly nagazine, Septesber, 1964).
In the face of the developing situation, the guerilla commando of Warquetals has published .a strong appeal to the demceratic and revoluticnary forces of Colombia:
"We have fought in the past to get changes in the straqtires, using tess painful ways for our people: the peaceful way, the democratic mass Struggle, the legal way that the Colombian Constitution foresees. But this way has been closed to us by violence, end because we are revolutionaries, conscious of our historical role, we have bean foresd to choose another way, the revolutionary and ermed fight to arrive in powere **
# * Reported in the New York Times. ** Report in Al Nasr (ligeria) 13 September, 1964.