BUENOS AIRES, June 3 Ñ From the moment NŽstor Kirchner became president of Argentina three years ago, sectors of the military have chafed under his criticism and tough human rights policy. But as the president moves ahead with plans to overhaul the armed forces and reduce their authority, those tensions are breaking into the open.

At an Army Day ceremony here on Monday, a few officers turned their backs on Mr. Kirchner and another walked offstage as he delivered a speech attacking the armed forces for their past associations with “state terrorism” and for a recent case in which military intelligence was found to be spying on politicians and reporters. The wife of a recently dismissed officer even stood and publicly challenged Mr. Kirchner’s version of the military’s history.

“As president of the nation, I have no fear,” Mr. Kirchner told the crowd at one point. “I’m not afraid of you.” He then left the ceremony without reviewing the troops that had been assembled for him.
nytimes.com

Colombian Rebels Say Uribe Victory Illegitimate
…Uribe, Washington’s strongest ally in South America, won 62 percent of votes cast on Sunday, easily winning a second four-year term. But the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, said his mandate lacks credibility because of an abstention rate of about 55 percent.

“Uribe only won 27.5 percent of all possible votes … It is an illegitimate victory,” said a statement posted on the FARC’s Web site.

“The strategy of domination of the White House won a beachhead with this re-election,” the statement said.

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