PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA

Colombia would not accept any type of intervention in the conflict between the Government and rebels opposing it, President Andres Pastrana Arango said at a Headquarters press conference Monday afternoon. The solution had to be a political one reached through dialogue and agreement.

Responding to questions from correspondents, he recalled that United States President William Clinton had clearly rejected military action as a possible solution to the Colombian conflict.

President Pastrana said that Cuban President Fidel Castro and other friends of Colombia were prepared to cooperate within the peace process once the parties requested it. The Government of Colombia hoped to conclude a negotiation process with the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) and, once that was completed, the Government hoped to invite a group of friendly countries to participate.

What would happen with the negotiation process since the FARC had said it would not accept a verification commission or an observer commission? a journalist asked.

The President replied that the leader of the FARC had signed a letter to the effect that there would be an observer commission to note any problems. The Government was confident that that pledge would be fulfilled.

He reiterated that the process would aim at strengthening democracy and national institutions. The Ibero-American community's support for a coherent peace plan had already been obtained. International participation and help were extremely important.

Colombia had a programme for which it was requesting resources from the United States and the international community. That programme was to be submitted to the United States Government tomorrow and to the United States Congress on Wednesday. It would also be put to the international community so that Colombia, the United States, the European Union and the international community could move forward.

He said Colombia was combating drug trafficking, the worst of scourges. It was precisely through that trafficking that the parties responsible for violence in the country were being financed. That was why Colombia wanted the international community to provide resources. It was often said that Colombia was asking for help to combat drug trafficking, but the problem was a global one. Colombia had been at the head of the fight and could not do it alone.

Asked whether he believed the FARC would keep its pledge, President Pastrana said the agreement between the Government and the FARC was built on trust. The world was aware of the document that had been signed.

In response to another question, he said peace was something that had to be built. Colombians often wanted things to happen right away. Some processes had taken years, as in Ireland, Palestine, El Salvador and Guatemala. Colombia needed a mechanism to make it possible for proper negotiations to be carried out.

Arango Briefing - 2 - 20 September 1999

Recalling recent negotiations, he said progress had been made in a short time. For the first time, the FARC was prepared to negotiate. There was already a 12-point agenda, which was fundamental to begin the process.

A journalist asked whether parallel negotiations were planned, as had been stated by President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

He said there were no such plans. The international community's support for the peace plan had been reflected by the Ibero-American community, where 21 countries had backed the peace process in Colombia. Important support had also been received from the Rio Summit between the European Union and Latin America.

Was it true that the FARC was just playing for time and gaining the respectability it had previously lacked? a correspondent asked.

President Pastrana replied that the peace process already begun was not a short-term one. Colombians had to understand that it could take many years.

Peace did not just involve the parties to the conflict, he said in response to another question. The economy must be improved, the judiciary and other institutions strengthened and the armed forces modernized, among other things. The factors generating violence in Colombia must also be eliminated.

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