Suspected rebel FARC expelled by the (PA) Venezuela

BOGOTA, Colombia - Venezuela deported to Colombia Monday the authorities said a man was a top FARC guerrilla representative in Europe who operated a website focused on the Swedes used the Agency to press the rebels from the left.

The expulsion of Joaquin Perez, who was arrested in the Saturday Venezuela arriving from Europe, was the latest sign of thawing relations between Bogota and Caracas.

In an interview published Monday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said that he personally calls his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, Saturday to inform of the arrival of Perez later that day on a flight from Frankfurt (Germany) and request the arrest.

He called the Perez 55 years old, also known under the name of "Alberto martinez", the biggest cooperative in Europe of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or of FARC.

"It's another sign that Chavez is faithful to his word." We thank him for it, "Santos, said in an interview with the newspaper El Tiempo."

Dressed in a bullet-proof vest, Perez told journalists at Bogota airport after arriving on a Colombian police twin-engined Beechcraft was a "social communicator". He denied belonging to the FARC.

He also denied reports that it floated to Caracas to meet with Rodrigo Londono, alias "Tymoshenko," a commander of FARC top of the page.

Before Santos took office last August, Colombian officials had long accused Venezuela to host senior FARC leaders and hosting rebel camps where the guerrillas received medical care and ran the cocaine trafficking operations.

Chavez retaliated in trade links of cutting with Colombia cost of farmers and ranchers in neighbour of the Venezuela of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The pragmatic Santos opted to repair ties with Chavez, even agreeing to extradite to the Venezuela in the coming days a Venezuelan captured in Colombia last year that Washington considers a drug cartel.

By agreeing to extradite Walid Makled, Santos spurned a request for the extradition of the United States, back in force, at Venezuela, a man who claims that top members of the circle of the decision of Mr. Chávez colluded with him pass smuggled tons of cocaine bound for the United States through Venezuela.

Lawyers of Perez in Caracas had fought his deportation, arguing that he is a citizen Swedish long renounced Colombian nationality. The Embassy of Sweden in Bogota said he sought in the case and was able to confirm the status of Perez.

Earlier, anti-terrorism Chief Prosecutor Colombia, Hermes Ardila, said that Perez was arrested based on emails on computers of Commander FARC Raul Reyes, who was killed in 2008 in a cross-border in Ecuador raid.

Ardila told Associated Press that the emails on computers Reyes prove Perez "was part of the FARC and money received from the FARC to finance the Anncol site," which publishes a press release on the rebel, talks with the FARC leaders and editorials pro - insurgent.