Roskam emphasizes Colombian victory

A victory in Colombia's war against a powerful rebel group became a focus during high-level talks Saturday on trade with a congressional delegation that included Wheaton Republican Peter Roskam.

Colombian forces killed Raul Reyes, 59, the official spokesman for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and considered a possible successor to the leftist group's No. 1 spot. The United States had offered a $5 million reward for his capture.

The death of Reyes, whose real name was Luis Edgar Devia Silva, is the latest in a series of setbacks the rebels have suffered at the hands of President Alvaro Uribe's hardline government, which has vowed to use hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to defeat the FARC. It also was one of the most severe blows to the group since its 1964 inception.

U.S. Rep. Roskam left for Colombia Friday with five other congressmen, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. The visit comes before a vote on a proposed free trade deal with Colombia.

Members of the delegation met with Uribe just after the news of Reyes' death was received.

"He put it in the context of how violence is coming down in the country," Roskam said.

"He was measured but very, very encouraged. You could just tell by the way he perceived it, it was a body blow (to FARC)."

Reyes died in combat and air strikes in neighboring Ecuador, Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told a news conference.

"This is the strongest blow dealt to the terrorist group to date," Santos said.

But Lazaro Riveros, a government negotiator who dealt with Reyes during talks that ended in 2002, cautioned that the FARC will replace Reyes immediately and "will keep moving forward in line with their principles and their structures."