Colombian Senator: Death Squads Met At Uribe's Ranch

He spoke of how banana companies, including foreign firms, bankrolled death squads and helped paramilitary groups traffic in cocaine. And he read from a government statement provided by an army captain who was present at meetings between a former general, Rito Alejo del Rio, and paramilitary commanders. President Uribe has long been close to del Rio, who was charged in 2001 with having paramilitary ties. The charges were later dropped.

The senator said that despite a common perception, the generation-old paramilitary movement did not surge because of the lack of state presence. "Paramilitarism was founded with the help from some sectors of the state," he said.

In the hearing, Petro focused much of his time on the Convivirs and how officials who promoted them knew that paramilitary warlords ran some of the groups. The Convivirs were eventually outlawed following allegations of rights abuses.

"If these type of people made up the Convivirs and directed them, then could they really guarantee the security and tranquillity of the people?" Petro asked.

In a recent interview, a paramilitary turncoat who is providing investigators with evidence of ties between paramilitary groups and politicians said that President Uribe had strong support among paramilitary commanders, who favored him for his tough stance against guerrillas. He said, however, that he had never heard evidence of direct ties between the president and paramilitary groups.

"We all admired the president," said the former paramilitary member, Jairo Castillo, who fled Colombia and now lives in Canada. "He was a guy who was for the Convivirs and strengthening the Convivirs. But to say that he was helping or had ties with the paramilitaries, I'd be lying if I said he did."

Staff writer Jason Ukman in Washington contributed to this report.