Chavez' terrorism ties

Hugo Chavez, the increasingly troublesome president of Venezuela, gets away with so much because he comes across as something of a clown. His insults of other heads of state, particularly George Bush, whom he calls "the devil," and even his threats to wage war against his neighbors seem inoffensive because he behaves like a buffoon. He also gets a pass because he controls the petrodollars that pour into Venezuela, principally from the United States.

He has raised eyebrows with his praise of the man he calls his mentor, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, as well as his flirtations with the late unlamented Saddam Hussein, Libyan tyrant Moammar Gadhafi and a motley selection of unsavory world leaders. But tolerance of his behavior appeared to have no limit.

That essentially untenable situation should change now that Interpol has confirmed that computer files found at a guerrilla camp of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are genuine. E-mails found in the files of two laptop computers belonging to a top FARC leader appear to incriminate President Chavez for arming and funding the FARC, which is classified as a terrorist group by the United States, Canada and all the major democracies in Europe. Venezuela could join Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria and Cuba on Washington's list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The FARC are not the kind of terrorists who could ever be called "freedom fighters." The group began as a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary organization nearly half a century ago. The goal was to overthrow democracy in Colombia and replace it with a communist dictatorship. In their lust for power, the leaders of FARC have resorted to atrocious acts of terrorism. Hijacking and kidnapping are FARC's speciality. Its guerrillas have massacred peasants and assassinated elected officials. In later years, advancing the revolution has taken second place to a nefarious business enterprise. FARC is a major trafficker in cocaine.

Mr. Chavez has reacted with characteristic intemperance to Interpol's confirmation that the computers had not been rigged by the Colombian government in a fraudulent attempt to incriminate him. Mr. Chavez called the Interpol official who reported the findings a "gringo policeman" and an "international vagabond," according to The New York Times. And he dismissed the Interpol report as a "show of clowns." Responding to Mr. Chavez's bluster, a U.S. State Department spokesman pointed out, "They are serious allegations about Venezuela supplying arms and support to a terrorist organization. Certainly, that has deep implications for the people of the region."

It would be a mistake, however, for Washington to take the lead in bringing President Chavez to account. That should be left to his fellow leaders in Latin America. As advisers to Indiana Republican Sen. Richard Lugar, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, observed, "If Venezuela is found to be complicit [with the FARC], the U.S. would be wise to allow for the regional dynamic to take its course. If the U.S. reacts too strongly, attention will go from Venezuela's transgressions to yet another example of 'American intervention' and strong-arm tactics."