Mayor of Medellin, Alonso Salazar

The National Attorney General’s office closed the investigation into alleged ties between Medellín’s Mayor, Alonso Salazar, and the self-defense forces of Colombia (Auc). An official document released exclusively to EL COLOMBIANO states that Salazar “never asked for or received support from members of the Auc, hence no fault is attributable to him”.

The Mayor asked the AG to open the investigation in November of 2008 after accusatory statements by incarcerated Auc member, John William Lopez, aka “Memin”, were published in the media.

Investigators however, “completely disproved charges” and found that the alleged orders given by Diego Fernando Murillo Bejarano, aka “Berna”, to support a candidate in Medellín’s mayoral race were in reference to someone else. The Attorney General said testimonies by those who spoke out against Salazar were inconsistent and gave evidence of a conspiracy to discredit him.

Despite efforts made by national and local authorities over the past 8 years to ensure citizens’ safety, recent violent episodes in Medellín and the alarm they’ve generated among residents may have affected approval ratings for Mayor of Medellin, Alonso Salazar. The most recent Gallup poll shows the Mayor’s approval rating fell seven points, from 64 percent in April to 57 percent in July.

On a more encouraging note, 44 percent of Medellín’s residents feel the city is improving, compared to the previous 44 percent. Events like the South American Games, the Culture Congress, the International Poetry Festival and the Bicentennial celebrations may have influenced this impression.

Meanwhile approval for Governor Luis Alfredo Ramos is at its highest point ever with 75 percent, surpassed only by the mayors of Cali and Barranquilla, whose approval ratings stand at 77 and 97 percent respectively.

Juan Manuel Santos and Dominican Republic President, Leonel Fernandez, met on Thursday.

Colombia’s President-elect, Juan Manuel Santos, spoke on the phone with Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Details were not revealed but government spokesperson, Marcelo Baumbach, said Lula da Silva feels “it was a very positive conversation and could help a lot in reducing tension”.

As far as the controversy over comments made by the Brazilian head of state in reference to the crisis between Colombia and Venezuela, Baumbach said Lula da Silva doesn’t plan to comment on the matter any further and considers the case closed.

Baumbach reiterated that the president is willing to act as mediator in the conflict and speak with all parts involved but for now nothing new has been added to his agenda. Lula da Silva will be in Caracas on August 6 and meet with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez; there’s also a dinner in Bogotá that night hosted by outgoing Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe, followed by President-elect Juan Manuel Santos’ inauguration the next day.

The U.S. agreed to group extradited paramilitaries in two U.S. cities to make it easier for Colombian judges to gain access to their testimonies within the Peace and Justice process. Weekly virtual hearings will make their statements more accessible to victims as well. Colombia’s Ministry of Justice and the Interior said it will also appoint a liaison to coordinate each process within the judicial system.

The agreement is the result of a plan designed by Deputy Attorney General of the U.S., Gary Grindler, and Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Lanny Breuer, who felt it was necessary to “increase the Colombian judicial system’s access to extradited former Auc members”.

Foreign Relations Minister of Ecuador, Ricardo Patiño, announced that the emergency Unasur meeting in Quito aimed at defusing the crisis between Venezuela and Colombia came to a close without an agreement, hence the crisis continues.

Twelve countries make up the Union of South American Nations; eight of which sent delegates to Quito. Patiño, who chaired the meeting, suggested scheduling another one but this time with Unasur heads of state.

The Colombian Government issued a statement in response to comments made on Wednesday by Brazil’s President, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, in reference to Hugo Chavez’ decision to break diplomatic ties with Colombia.

President Alvaro Uribe said Lula Da Silva “is referring to our situation with the Republic of Venezuela as if it were a personal issue, and ignoring the threat the presence of Farc in that country poses to Colombia and the rest of the continent.”

On Wednesday Lula Da Silva reduced the tension between Colombia and Venezuela to a “verbal conflict, which we see plenty of in Latin America”.  In its response Colombia highlights that relations with Brazil have always been on excellent terms, but that its President is clearly unaware of the efforts Colombia has made to find a solution via dialogue.

Higher production volume and an increase in oil prices are what analysts consider to be the reasons behind Ecopetrol’s earnings, which for 2010 are approaching 9 billion pesos. The company’s net profits in 2009 had fallen to 5.26 billion pesos, a significant decline compared to the previous year’s 11.63 billion.

Serfinco analyst, Felipe Sanchez, said the “WTI is expected to land at an average of around US$80 per barrel for this year, which would improve the company’s results considerably”. This will also lead to an increase in dividends for shareholders, who should receive 140 pesos per share in 2011.

President Alvaro Uribe said today in Medellín that his cabinet will hold an emergency meeting this evening to declare a Social and Economic Emergency for the Colombian region that borders Venezuela.

The measure temporarily eliminates the added value tax, or IVA, on products crossing the border on products like textiles, clothing, and shoes. “I believe it will help to revitalize this sector in that area of the country. It’s a benefit to national and international sales on the border. I have faith and wanted to communicate it to you, the government has been working on it since last week and I believe everything is ready to be signed tonight at 9:00 p.m.”, Uribe said.

Another measure also in the works will make it easier to declare duty-free zones in departments like La Guajira, Northern Santander and Arauca.

Minister of Trade, Luis Guillermo Plata, said these measures are a “shock plan” in response to Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez’, decision to break diplomatic ties with Colombia. Plata warned it may take some time to see results, because they are long-term projects.

A bus drivers’ strike, now on its third day, continues to affect residents of the Santa Ines neighborhood and areas surrounding Manrique, as they’ve had to find alternate, more expensive means of transportation. Public forces have been present 24 hours a day to guarantee the safety of all drivers and residents of the area. Transportation providers have said they want to meet with Coopetransa directors but as of yesterday afternoon a meeting had not been arranged.

Andrés Lázaro, Police Commander for the Eastern District, stressed the importance of the community’s help in providing information that will lead to the arrest of those pressuring drivers to pay extortion money; he said it’s essential for people to let go of fear and come forward so the judicial system may then do its job. Authorities believe the perpetrators are members of delinquent gangs pressuring bus drivers to pay extortion fees.

A bus burning on Saturday is what triggered the strike in the first place.

The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Obama administration has deported an unprecedented number of illegal immigrants, significantly more than in the Bush years, and stepped up inspections at hundreds of businesses suspected of hiring undocumented workers. The situation, analysts say, is cause for confusion because while the government intensifies deportations on one hand, on the other it’s suing the state of Arizona to block the immigration law due to go into effect on Thursday. Marc Rosenblum, senior analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, said that while the White House is definitely proving immigration is a priority to this administration, it disagrees with Arizona’s way of going about it by criminalizing undocumented citizens.

Another issue that in the expert’s opinion complicates President Obama’s job further is that he wants to increase the deportation of convicted felons, but “most illegals aren’t”, which is why he must find a way to carry out immigration reform in a way that satisfies both American citizens and immigrants, with or without papers.

Data released by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shows 369.221 immigrants were deported in 2008, 114.415 of them had committed some type of crime; 387.790 were deported in 2009, 136.126 of them convicted felons. Since the beginning of the Obama administration, between October 1st of last year and June 7th of the present year, 227.163 immigrants been deported, 113.453 of them have been convicted of a crime.