Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-02-Speech-4-038"
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"en.20041202.5.4-038"2
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"Commissioner, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, how do we stand in terms of promoting peace in Colombia? The previous legislature had criticised what was known as the ‘Colombia Plan’ and had proposed far-reaching social reforms. The Commission, the Council and Parliament had declared themselves ready to play the role of facilitators in the negotiations, initiated by President Pastrana, between the government and the guerrillas. The obstacles faced by this declaration were, firstly, the abandonment of this policy by the Colombian authorities and, secondly, the FARC’s scandalous practice of taking hostages, illustrated by the case of Ingrid Betancourt. The field has therefore been abandoned to the extremists on both sides: on the one hand, the FARC and, on the other hand, President Uribe’s administration which, by proposing to put civilians into uniform and to accord immunity and funding to the paramilitaries, has dangerously jeopardised the constitutional state.
What, then, is to be done? There is only one solution left to us: to support civil society’s efforts to promote peace, as expressed for example through the Civil Society Permanent Assembly for Peace. Let us remember that this form of coordination had resulted in the collection of ten million signatures for peace. The Assembly now proposes a broad humanitarian agreement involving, for example, exchanges of prisoners but, above all, respect by the two sides for international humanitarian law. From this point of view, I approve the statement by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner. We call upon the Colombian Government to respect the constitutional state and humanitarian law. We expect the guerrillas to release the hostages as a sign of their desire to return to the negotiating table. We shall fund the peace laboratories and the support for civil society in Colombia. The best way in which Europe can help promote peace in Colombia is to support initiatives of this type and the local authorities in Colombia that follow these up."@en1
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