Twice elected as mayor of the capital as an independent, he shuns Colombia's traditional political parties.

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In Cali, Colombia, the self-proclaimed salsa capital of the world, life revolves around the rhythms of Latin music.

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Half-an-hour after the president's address, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) showed journalists assembled in the Cuban capital Havana a video message from their leader, Rodrigo Londono, better known as Timochenko.

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He is a former governor of Antioquia, the economically important and politically conservative department of which Medellin, Colombia's third city, is the capital.

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What made the difference in Colombia, where Patterson served as ambassador from 2000 to 2003, was the return of private capital, both American dollars and the repatriated pesos of wealthy locals who had chosen to live and invest abroad.

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