Ecuador leader denies rebel links

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Source: TVNZ

Ecuador President Rafael Correa said he would quit if there is proof he had any links with Colombian guerrillas, raising the stakes in a spat with neighbour Colombia, which accuses him of harbouring rebels.

Accusations that Correa and his ally Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez helped Colombian guerrillas stem from data found in the laptops of a slain rebel leader authenticated by the international police agency Interpol earlier this week. The disclosure has raised regional tensions.

"If I had the most minimal relation with the FARC as candidate or as president I will resign as president," Correa said in his weekly radio address. "We have never received illegal (campaign) contributions."

The popular ex-college professor said he handed over proof of his innocence to the Organization of American States amid accusations he also received money contributions from rebels during his presidential campaign in 2006.



Read more: http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1785325