fire by ordering the killing of a local legislator. But, while largely symbolic, the Colombian decision to transfer Murillo Bejarano immediately produced the desired effect and the U.S. Embassy issued a congratulatory communique putting an end to what had become an unusual public argument between the two close allies. "We believe that the incarceration of Don Berna in Combita maximum security prison is an important and courageous step," U.S. Ambassador William Wood said in a statement. On Thursday, the embassy had said it was "disappointed" by Colombia's decision not to extradite Murillo Bejarano, who it believes is one of the country's biggest cocaine traffickers. But U.S. objectives are not necessarily as clear as its officials insist. Although Washington says it wants to extradite several top AUC figures, it also says it supports the peace talks with the paramilitaries. --more 2317 Local Time 2017 GMT
