In accord with the agreement of July 9, 1998 at the first meeting betweenPresident Pastrana and the Chief Comandant of the FARC-EP, the talks in search of peace would take place in a demilitarized zone and without conditions.

For this the government would completely evacuate the armed forces as well as the judges and prosecutors from the municipalities of Uribe, Mesetas, Vista Hermosa, Macarena and San Vicente del Caguan and would undertake oncrete actions against the policy of paramilitarism which is protected in the constitution and laws of the Republic.

The President took office and ordered the demilitarization of only four of the five promised municipalities, leaving 180 soldiers in the Cazadores Batallion in San Vicente. 60 days were lost with the different excuses of the President and other functionaries, all for the purpose of not carrying out their commitment to demilitarize the area chosen by the FARC for the talks. Confronted with the demands made by the FARC in order to bring about the establishment of the talks, the government finally gave way and removed the last 130 soldiers from San Vicente.

meeting was held in Caquetania on Nov. 10, 1998 with Victor G. Ricardo, the High Commissioner for Peace, National Planning Director Maria Ines Restrepo and the five mayors of the demilitarized municipalities. Comandants Manuel Marulanda, Jorge Briceno, Raul Reyes, Joaquin Gomez and Fabian Ramirez among other leaders participated on behalf of FARC in order to officially agree upon the recognition of the mayors and councils of the various municipalities who would rely on the civic police. This was to be constituted with persons known in the municipalities and chosen by common agreement and equiped and paid by the National Government. In other words, those were the rules of the game agreed to between the sides and to which the FARC has adhered and shall continue to carry out strictly.
 

The installation of the table of dialogues took place on Jan. 7 this year but the leader of the FARC could not participate due to the capture of a military intelligence plan to assassinate him that day.

Two day later the militarists executed a treacherous plan of crimes against the unarmed civilian population, killing more than 200 people in the name of the state’s paramilitaries; in spite of this, we continued the Conversations in the expectation of serious measures by the three powers of state against the barbarity of the enemies of the dialogues process.

Not seeing action on the part of the government or the political representatives of the powers of state directed to saving the process of dialogues by means of decisive measures against paramilitarism, the Secretariat of the Central General Staff of the FARC-EP decided to freeze the talks to give the government time to show satisfactory results against the policy of paramilitarism.

For the purpose of strengthening the President’s policy of dialogue for peace, the FARC promoted meetings with representatives of the economic associations, the parliament, the owners and directors of the Communications media and the leaders of the political parties and movements.

Then on May 2 this year the second meeting between the President of the Republic and the leader of the FARC took place and produced the joint comunique signed by both and made public. Point four of that document says,"Having evaluated the serious and responsible work the spokespersons have been achieving, we find that arrival at a total agreement on a common agenda is now very close. Since May 5 is the end of the period established by the National Government for the dialogues and since the sides have once again reaffirmed their unwaivering political will to find a political solution to the conflict, starting on this May 6th we agree to initiate the period of negotiations and dialogues on the points of the agreed common agenda. These shall be made known through the spokespersons without predjudice to progress they may have achieved prior to that date."
 

Nevertheless, in an incomprehensible manner, the national government now disregards the accords of Caquetania and insists obsessively on new rules of the game unacceptable to the FARC-EP, since as well it does not now accept point seven of the Caquetania document signed by Pastrana and Marulanda.

The purpose of the above is to explain in detail to Colombia and the international community the diverse difficulties which have presented themselves in the struggle the FARC is carrying out to maintain the dialogues for negotiation in the face of the inconsistencies of governmental policy.

In this respect, it is also false to assert the government has given a great deal for the process of dialogues by demilitarizing the five municipalities since everyone knows that in Colombia there are more than 50 demilitarized municipalities not demanded by the FARC for the dialogues.

Added to this are the innumerable meetings held between spokespersons of the government and the FARC with the only objective of saving the process.

On July 30 of last month the government and the FARC spokespersons for the dialogues met to discuss setting up the table but did not come to agreement with respect to the rules of the game: concretely concerning the integration of the International Commision of Support with which the FARC-EP in not in agreement.
 

The FARC confirm once more before Colombia and the world their unflagging decision to continue pursuing the conquest of peace with social justice for the achievement of a political solution to the social and armed conflict which has grieved the country for more than 35 years.

We await the decision of the President of the Republic.

For further information we have attached the following documents: "Open Letter to Dr. Andres Pastrana" dated Dec. 3, 1998 and signed by the spokespersons of the FARC and as well the public comunique of May 2, 1999, signed in Caquetania by the President of the Republic and the leader of the FARC-EP.

In accord with the agreement of July 9, 1998, we have met today for the purpose of making as assessment of the work done to date in the process of dialogue initiated between the government and the FARC-EP.

After an open, cordial and sincere analysis we have identified concrete and meaningful progress on the complex road to build reconciliation among all colombians.

We are conscious the achievement of peace is a process which demands efforts, analysis, comprehension and commitments in order for us to come to agreement as to the economic, political and social transformations which would permit the construction of a state based upon social justice where all are included and which has everyone’s respect.

Having evaluated the serious and responsible work the spokespersons have been achieving, we find that arrival at a total agreement on a common agenda is now very close.

Since May 5 is the end of the period established by the national government for the dialogues and since the sides have once again reaffirmed their unwaivering political will to find a political solution to the conflict, starting on this May 6th we agree to initiate the period of negotiations and dialogues on the points of the agreed common agenda. These shall be made known through the spokespersons without predjudice to progress they may have achieved prior to that date.
 

The sides have commited themselves to the development of the accord signed the 28th of April past by the leadership of the various political forces of the country, the Congress of the Republic, the FARC-EP and the National Government through the High Commissioner for Peace.

We want to bring to the attention of the colombian people and the international community that the achievement of peace is the duty of all colombians and requires the time necessary to establish the solid basis of a real and lasting peace.

For this purpose we shall by common agreement form an International Commission of Support which could provide verification in order to overcome any problem which might arise.

 

Archivo de comunicados de ANNCOL Comunicados por mes99 Julio99 Junio99 Mayo99 Abril99 Marzo99 Febrero1998