[Peace-discuss] Bush's former counterterrorism adviser quits and joins Kerry

[C. G. Estabrook]

[This piece from Narco News indicates Beers' former job -- countering the
threat of terrorism in Colombia -- about which I expect we'll hear more
soon, whoever is elected in 2004.}

	September 10, 2002
	Narco News '02
	Authentic Journalism on the "War on Drugs" in Latin America
	"The Name of Our Country is América" - Simón Bolívar

	Beers "Corrects" Falsehood
	Under Oath in Dyncorp Case

	I made the following statement: "It is believed that FARC
terrorists have received training at Al Qaida terrorist camps in
Afghanistan." I wish to strike this sentence.

Narco News Commentary: Under oath and "the penalties and pains of perjury"
last November, Assistant Secretary of State Rand Beers made a blatantly
false statement, toying with the emotions of American citizens after the
aerial attacks of September 11th to try to justify, of all things, aerial
herbicide attacks on Ecuadoran peasant farmers near the Colombia border.
Now he swears under oath that his outrageous and shocking statement was
false.

Thus, a high official of the U.S. government had to admit in court that he
had committed perjury; lied under oath to the same court.

Narco News has obtained a copy of the State Department fixer's
"correction" filed in the court case by Ecuadoran farmers against Dyncorp,
the company contracted to attack them.

Here, we publish it, as we did Beers' deposition, in full.
 
	IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
	FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
	-----------------------------------
	Case Number: 1:01CV01908 (RWR)
	Judge: Richard W. Roberts
	------------------------------------
	VENACIO AGUASANTA ARIAS, et al., :
	Plaintiffs,
	vs.
	DYNCORP, et al., :
	Defendants.
	-----------------------------------
	SUPPLEMENTAL DECLARATION OF RAND BEERS,
	ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE
	BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS
	REGARDING POTENTIAL IMPACT OF ARIAS LITIGATION ON UNITED STATES
	NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY INTERESTS
 
I, RAND BEERS, HEREBY DECLARE THE FOLLOWING TO BE TRUE AND CORRECT:

1. I wish to correct my declaration, filed with this Court on November 27,
2001.

2. In paragraph 10, I made the following statement: "The United States and
Colombia have worked together in joint aerial eradication efforts since
1978." I wish to strike the date "1978" and replace it with the date
"1982." The error was inadvertent. Based on information and belief, the
paragraph as revised is correct.

3. In paragraph 20, I made the following statement: "In total, during 1999
and 2000, over 100 spray planes and/or escort helicopters were hit by
hostile ground fire, resulting in three fatalities." I wish to strike the
words "resulting in three fatalities." The error was inadvertent. Based on
information and belief, the paragraph as revised is true and correct.

4. In paragraph 21, I made the following statement: "The United States has
trained three counternarcotics brigades, has furnished the Colombian Army
with UH-1Ns (Huey), and UH 60Ls (Blackhawks), and is providing
on-the-ground support for the maintenance and upkeep of "battalions." In
the Colombian Army, three battalions constitutes one brigade. The error
was inadvertent. Based on information and belief, the paragraph as revised
is true and correct.

5. In paragraph 38, I made the following statement: "On October 5, 2001,
Secretary of State Powell designated twenty-eight organizations as Foreign
Terrorist Organizations. Three of these Foreign Terrorist Organizations
are based in Colombia: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),
the National Liberation Army (ELN), and the United Self-Defense Forces of
Colombia (AUC)." I wish to strike the sentence "On October 5, 2001,
Secretary of State Powell designated twenty-eight organizations as Foreign
Terrorist Organizations" and replace it with the sentence, "In 2001,
Secretary of State Powell designated or re-designated twenty-eight
Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations." Each of the three
organizations listed had been designated by the Secretary of State as
Foreign Terrorist Organizations prior to October 5, 2001. On that date,
Secretary Powell redesignated the FARC and the ELN as Foreign Terrorist
Organizations because their designation was due to expire. The AUC had
been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization for the first time in
September 2001. The error was inadvertent. Based on information and
belief, the paragraph as revised is true and correct.

6. In paragraph 43, I made the following statement: "It is believed that
FARC terrorists have received training at Al Qaida terrorist camps in
Afghanistan." I wish to strike this sentence. At the time of my
declaration, based on information available to me, I believed this
statement to be true and correct. Based upon information made available to
me subsequent to the filing of the declaration, I no longer believe this
statement to be true and correct. Based on information and belief, the
paragraph as revised is true and correct.

7. In paragraph 58, I made the following statement: "Panama, which has no
army, has no defense against intrusion from these armed forces." I wish to
strike the words "no defense" and replace them with the words "very
limited defenses." The error was inadvertent. Based on information and
belief, the paragraph as revised is true and correct. Under penalty of
perjury, and pursuant to Section 1746 of Title 28, United States Code, I
certify and declare that the foregoing statements are true and correct.

Executed this 8th day of August 2002 at Washington, District of Columbia.
	RAND BEERS
	ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE
	FOR THE BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL
	NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS

<http://www.narconews.com/beersperjury1.html>

  ==============================================================
  C. G. Estabrook
  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [MC-190]
  109 Observatory, 901 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana IL 61801 USA
  office: 217.244.4105 mobile: 217.369.5471 home: 217.359.9466
  <www.carlforcongress.org>
  ===============================================================