Opposition politician calls for probe into report implicating Belarus in weapons deal with Colombian rebels

Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of the United Civic Party, has urged Prosecutor General Ryhor Vasilevich to probe reports that Belarus planned to supply weapons to Colombian guerillas.

Reporting with reference to a source in the Colombian government, the Spanish daily El Pais said on May 10 that the Venezuelan president intended to supply the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) with arms with the help of Belarus. The newspaper said that Belarus’ involvement in the deal was revealed in an e-mail found stored on the computer of Raul Reyes, a FARC leader, who was killed earlier this year.

“In this respect, I am asking you to investigate the facts mentioned by the newspaper El Pais and provide Belarusian citizens with credible information about all deals involving sales of weapons to Latin American countries in the past five years and a report on what the funds raised through the deals have been spent,” Mr. Lyabedzka says in the petition.

The opposition politician notes that the report has done serious damage to Belarus’ image abroad and revealed the absence of any tools of public control over the executive government in the country.

The e-mail, sent by FARC top member Ivan Marquez on February 8, said that Mr. Chavez “considered with the Belarusian authorities the possibility of weapons supplies.” “Our Belarusian friend continues work on the package on ways to the black market to solve the problems,” the newspaper quoted the guerilla as saying in the message.

The e-mail reportedly said that a delegation “from the friend” was to arrive in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on February 17 to discuss weapons supplies to the FARC.

“Angel asked us to be here and reach agreement with the delegation personally,” the e-mail said.

El Pais said that Angel was Mr. Chavez’s pseudonym and the man referred to as “our Belarusian friend” was Viktar Sheyman, state secretary of the Belarusian Security Council and a member of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s inner circle.

The newspaper said that Belarus contracted to supply €720 million worth of weapons to Venezuela in 2007, and that the deal was negotiated by Mr. Sheyman.

Mr. Sheyman visited Venezuela between February 15 and 19.

Interpol announced last week that the computer files had come from a rebel camp and had not been tampered with by the Colombian government.

The Belarusian authorities have denied the report.