The Guardian 20 April, 2005
Global briefs
COLOMBIA: The Colombian Army last month killed three members of the
agricultural workers trade union FENSUAGRO, the Campaign for Labor Rights reported. The
three, Javier Alexander Dubillos, Wilder Cubillos and Heriberto Delgado — farmers from San
Juan de Sumapaz, near Bogota — were travelling to La Hoya del Nevado on March 18 to inspect
some cattle when they went missing. On March 27, their families identified their bodies in a
morgue in the town of Fusagasuga. The army claimed the three were guerrillas killed in combat,
the same claim it made a year ago after killing three senior trade union leaders in the region of
Arauca. Community groups and trade unions in the region said in a statement that the three
were well known political and peasant activists, leading members of both their trade union and
the local branch of the Communist Party.
BRAZIL: Brazil has announced it will not renew a nearly US$42 billion loan
agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The previous loan expired at the end of
March. Brazil still owes the IMF over US$23 billion. The government said the country's
improved fiscal performance made it less vulnerable to shocks on global markets, reducing its
need for IMF support. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's Workers' Party has said IMF loans
represent the interests of investors rather than ordinary Brazilians. "It is important we are no
longer subordinate to the IMF", said Workers' Party Congressman Ivan Valente.
NORTH KOREA: North Korean peace and student organisations have
protested against the joint military exercises now being staged by the US and South Korea, the
Korean Central News Agency said. Of special concern was the revelation that the US nuclear
submarine Los Angeles recently entered the naval base at Jinhae, South Korea. In separate
statements the Korean Anti-Nuclear Peace Committee and the National Alliance of Youth and
Students for Reunification said the move heightened concern about a pre-emptive strike against
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
ASIAN SUB-CONTINENT: The Bush administration has decided to sell F-16
fighter planes to Pakistan, and has offered to sell them to India together with missile defence
systems and discussions on civilian nuclear technology. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)
(CPIM) is urging the Indian government to reject the offer, warning that fuelling the arms race
between the two countries with the sale of sophisticated weaponry to both "suits the United
States' interests perfectly as well as providing a good market for its arms manufacturers".
India's defence minister has looked favourably on the US offer because it is the first time
Washington has made such a proposal. But the CPIM pointed out that for political reasons, the
US cannot be relied on as a supplier. "The pursuit of an independent foreign policy and forging
closer ties with all major countries including China should not be sidetracked by the US effort to
inveigle India into a strategic military alliance", the CPIM said.