Pubdate: Wed, 23 Jan 2002
Source: Methow Valley News (WA)
Copyright: 2002 Methow Valley News
Contact:  http://www.methowvalleynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1469
Author: Ann George

STILL HOPE IN COLOMBIA

Dear Editor:

What a relief it was to hear that after breaking off negotiations, the 
Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas have agreed to continue to 
negotiate for peace. For this we can thank U.N. diplomats who traveled to 
Colombia for last-minute talks with the guerrillas.

The Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas began formal peace 
negotiations in January 1999, eight months after thousands of Colombians 
took to the streets demanding peace. The two groups met and agreed on an 
agenda of items to be discussed including: protection of human rights as a 
responsibility of the state, agrarian policy including redistribution of 
unproductive land, respect for international humanitarian law, opposition 
to self-defense groups (the paramilitaries), judicial reform, the 
strengthening of social services, and the broadening of the democracy to 
include equal opportunities for minorities and opposition parties.

All of these reforms are desperately needed in a country where: citizens 
are routinely assassinated for speaking out against human rights abuses, 
more labor union leaders are murdered than in any other country in the 
world, two million mostly poor farmers (about 5 percent of the population) 
have been displaced by the conflict and receive almost no help from the 
government, 97 percent of crimes go unsolved, the paramilitaries, who are 
responsible for 80 percent of the human rights abuses, often work with the 
support of the military and assassinations of opposition party candidates 
are not uncommon.

The break in negotiations came the day after 14 Black Hawk helicopters 
purchased from the U.S. were delivered to Colombia. In the past two years 
Congress has voted to send $1.85 billion of mostly military aid to the 
region. The bulk of this money was for Colombia for the expansion of its 
military and the purchase of military helicopters.

I hope that as the strength of its military grows the Colombian government 
can keep its sights set on working toward the peace its citizens so 
desperately want.

Ann George

Winthrop
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