• U.S. State Department Certifies Colombia Despite criticism that Colombia has not done enough to improve its human rights record, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice determined that there is “significant progress to certify to Congress that the Colombian government and Armed Forces are meeting statutory criteria related to human rights.” Per U.S. law, the State Department must certify twice annually, with each certification freeing 12.5 percent of U.S. aid. With the August 1 certification, Colombia now stands to receive 12.5 percent of previously withheld U.S. foreign-aid funding from 2004. In a surprise move, the State Department also certified Colombia for the first of two 2005 human rights certifications, freeing up just under $70 million total for the Andean nation. The last 12.5 percent of withheld FY 2005 funds “cannot be obligated until the Secretary makes another certification and determination,” said U.S. State Department acting spokesman Tom Casey. International human rights groups, notably Amnesty International, have publicly questioned Rice’s decision to certify. Executive Director Dr. William F. Schulz called the decision “a major blow to the promotion of human rights in Colombia ” and suggested the decision “is based on only the narrowest reading of the law and the thinnest of evidence.” While State Department spokesman Casey does concede that “more needs to be done to improve the human rights situation, sever military-paramilitary ties, and end impunity in Colombia,” he says that “promoting respect for human rights is central to our policy in Colombia [and] President Uribe and other senior officials have assured us they are committed to working with us on concrete measures” to improve human rights.

• Uribe Visits Bush’s Ranch; Says Strong Colombia-U.S. Relationship Crucial On the eve of Colombian President Uribe’s trip to President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, the Colombian president emphasized the importance of a strong U.S.-Colombia relationship, saying that U.S. aid has been integral in decreasing kidnappings and cocaine production and in negotiating a peace agreement with the right-wing paramilitaries. Luis Alberto Moreno, Colombia’s Ambassador to the U.S., said that the purpose of Thursday’s meeting at Bush’s ranch, was to allow the two presidents to talk about “forming a deeper strategic relationship and about security and investment.” During his trip, Uribe acknowledged the progress that Colombia has made, yet admitted that there is still much work to be done, by saying that “the terrorists have been [in Colombia] for 40 years, but the government’s fight to destroy them has lasted just three years.” Uribe, the only Colombian leader in living memory who has maintained a favorable image and ratings that exceed 70 percent after three years of running the government, according to recent analysis in Colombia’s leading newspaper El Tiempo, has been criticized for his harsh, and sometimes ineffective, tactics in cracking down on violence and drug trafficking. Americas director for Human Rights Watch Jose Miguel Vivanco described the paramilitary demobilization process as “rotten to the core,” while other groups have said that the process is simply a blanket amnesty for fighters accused of massacres and drug trafficking.

• Newly Elected Ambassador to Ask for More U.S. Aid Andres Pastrana, a president of Colombia from 1998-2002 and Colombia’s newly elected ambassador to the U.S., warned the U.S. that Colombian drug cartels are forging new alliances with terrorist groups and said that he will ask the U.S. for more aid to combat drug trafficking. Saying that “terrorism around the world is financed by drugs,” Pastrana emphasized the importance of cracking down on drug trafficking in an effort to defeat terrorism. Although Pastrana admits that Colombian drug traffickers have no overt ties to al-Qaeda, he did say that drug traffickers have recently formed alliances with mafia organizations in Russia , Spain , and other European countries. Pastrana also hailed Plan Colombia , an anti-drug aid package secured during his presidency, as “very successful,” and said that “we need more money.” Pastrana will most likely take up his official post in October.

• Colombian to Head the Inter-American Development Bank Luis Alberto Moreno, Colombia’s Ambassador to the U.S. , was recently elected president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the biggest single source of development aid loans for Latin America and the Caribbean . Four other candidates from Brazil , Nicaragua , Peru , and Venezuela , were in the running, yet Moreno remained a favorite of the Bush administration, particularly for his efforts in garnering support from both Colombian and U.S. officials for Plan Colombia . With declining borrowing practices, insiders say that Moreno , who is replacing Enrique V. Iglesias, must come up with more imaginative lending policies in order to increase borrowing. Former IDB executive vice-president Nancy Birdsall said that “ Moreno will need all his political smarts to persuade the U.S. Treasury to approve the big, quick IDB lending, and to bring in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.” The Washington-based institution has a lending capacity of approximately $8 billion, yet loaned only $6 billion to governments and individuals last year.

• Colombian President Honored for Terror, Drug Fights Colombian President Uribe was recently in San Diego, California to receive the Award for Democracy and Peace from the Institute of the Americas to honor his efforts in combating drug trafficking and terrorism in Colombia. During a dinner that preceded the award ceremony, Uribe emphasized that one of his main goals, besides bringing stability to Colombia , is to eradicate the coca plant and curb drug trafficking in order to “prevent those drugs from getting into the hands of the terrorist groups.” The Colombian president also said that “persistence and the strong exercise of authority,” are critical in bringing stability to this Andean nation. The Institute of the Americas , a University of California , San Diego nonprofit institute which encourages the private sector’s role in economic development, awards the Award for Democracy and Peace to leaders in the Americas who promote greater stability and social and economic reforms.

Upcoming Events and Seminars in the U.S.

A number of church groups and human rights organizations are sponsoring an international conference entitled, “Partnering for Peace: Colombia and U.S. Communities in Solidarity,” in Chicago on October 21-23, 2005 . This conference aims to educate participants, develop strategies for building lasting community relationships between Colombia and the U.S. , and forge partnerships between U.S. groups and Colombian villages, churches, and organizations. For more information, please visit their website: http://www.chicagoans.net/conference2005 or contact John Lindsay-Poland at the Fellowship of Reconciliation at (415) 495-6334 or at forlatam@igc.org .

Colombia This Week is reproduced with the kind permission of the ABColombia Group in London

Fri 29 – UN refugee agency warns on situation in Putumayo ; Uribe call for more ‘vigilantes’.

• A statement from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports its concerns for the situation of the civilian population in the departments of Putumayo and Nariño as they are still suffering an armed blockade in the area. The disruption in transportation is leading to a severe shortage of food and other essential items. Gasoline and electricity are in short supply following attacks on oil installations. At least 500 people have been displaced to the city of Mocoa and 160 more to the municipality of Orito , UNHCR reports.
• In a speech made during the National Congress for Private Security Companies in Colombia , which took place in Girardot, President Uribe Velez called on those present to give their support to government policies, collaborating to a greater extent with the public forces in the area of intelliegence, and employing all the 14,000 demobilised fighters from the paramilitary groups, CM& reports.   

Sat 30 – Raids continue in Cauca : 20 detained; experts reject Uribe’s proposal for buying coca.

• Colombian NGO Solidarity Committee with Political Prisoners (CSPP) denounces the latest raids and mass detentions made by the authorities in the municipality of Corintio ( Cauca ). Members of the anti-kidnap unit (GAULA) and the judicial police (CTI) detained a group of 20 people, including a minor and a disabled person.
• The Colombian media, politicians, analysts and diplomats have reacted against the proposal made by President Uribe Velez to the peasants in Meta to buy coca leaves, the base material of cocaine. The initiative was improvised by the president and since the initial announcement he has changed his proposals three times. Writing in Semana magazine, Colombian journalist Maria Elvira Samper criticises the government for such a proposal as it would involve the authorities buying an illicit crop, just like all the illegal armed groups in Colombia do, and thus promoting rather than tackling the cultivation of coca crops in Colombia .

Sun 31 - FARC commander killed in Meta; 22 FARC members hand in arms near Cali.

• Colombian Army Commander, Gral. Castellanos reports the killing of Wladislav Aguirre Rodríguez (a. El Boyaco), reportedly second in command of the FARC’s Oriental bloc. According to the reports, four other members of this illegal armed group were killed in the combats that took place near Cubaral, ( Meta ), El Colombiano reports.
• Authorities report the desertion of 22 members of the sixth front of the FARC group, currently staying in the barracks of the Army’s III Brigade, based in Cali . According to reports, this group was in negotiations with the authorities for the last two weeks and they have been reportedly acting in Valle and Cauca . The Governor of Cauca Juan Jose Chaux was invited to the ceremony in which the fighters handed in their arms, and the regional authorities hope this is the beginning of a peace process with the FARC group, although there are concerns that these individual demobilisations will never successfully dismantle the FARC’s structures as a whole, El Tiempo reports.

Mon 01- Berna’s gang from Medellin demobilises; HRW: process legitimises paramilitary power.

• The demobilisation of the Heroes of Granada bloc of the AUC symbolises all that is uncertain in the peace process going on in Colombia between Uribe’s government and the paramilitaries, Reuters reports. Of the 2,000 fighters handing in their weapons today, most are from the city of Medellin and many from the underworld organisation known as The Office of Emvigado, a criminal network that dates back to the days of Pablo Escobar and the Medellin drug cartel. The Emvigado has long provided assassination services and resolves disputes between drug traffickers. These men have little to do with the right-wing paramilitaries, except that their boss, Diego Murillo (alias Don Berna), who has also demobilised, became a paramilitary warlord after the fall of the Medellin drug cartel and is reputed to be one of Colombia's top drug traffickers. Many observers fear that this paramilitary peace process is simply wiping the criminal records of some of the country's most unsavoury characters and leaving them free to continue their criminal enterprises but with a clean slate, Reuters reports.
• Launching its latest report, US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports the mishandling of the Colombian authorities of the present peace process, arguing that:  “the government’s failure to conduct the demobilisations in a serious manner is helping paramilitary commanders launder their wealth and legitimise their political power”. The report continues, ‘ demobilised paramilitaries are not confessing, turning over substantial assets, or disclosing substantial information about their groups’ criminal networks and financing streams. Instead, paramilitaries are taking full advantage of the demobilisation process to launder their illegal fortunes and legitimize their political control. (…) Having interviewed numerous demobilised paramilitaries, government officials, and other insiders, it is evident this process is rotten to the core’. 
• Colombian rebels continue to pile pressure onto the armed forces, the BBC reports. In a change of tactics, the FARC group have paralysed the department of Putumayo . They have cut off electricity to parts of the province and blockaded roads, forcing the government to airlift in basic supplies and food. Since February the guerrillas have launched a counter-offensive that has found the armed forces scrambling to respond. Just as soon as the army has contained one rebel action, another appears in a different part of the country. But for over a week the guerrillas have been tightening their grip on the southern province of Putumayo . The FARC tactics may be changing but the aim remains the same - to discredit the US-backed government of President Alvaro Uribe, to ensure he is not re-elected next year, BBC reports.

Tues 02 – Blast kills 14 Colombian police near Santa Marta; Pastrana accepts US Embassy.

• At least 14 Colombian police officers are killed in a roadside bomb blast. The attack, in the road between Patillal and Atanquez municipalities in the Sierra Nevada region, is one of the deadliest against Colombia 's security forces this year. Appearing on television, a visibly shaken Colombian President Uribe Velez said the attack on the police was a "hard blow". No group has said it was responsible for the blast, which took place in an area where the FARC group is known to operate, Reuters reports.
• Former Colombian President Andres Pastrana is to become ambassador to Washington. In a clever political manoeuvre, President Uribe has neutralised a dangerous enemy and has also gained a powerful spokesman for his recent controversial measures to pardon brutal right-wing militants. President Uribe not only gains a powerful voice in Washington, one which can guarantee that the flow of US aid, estimated at more than $700m (£400m) a year, continues, but he also removes a rival. Mr Uribe is seeking re-election to the presidency next year and to win he needs the support of Mr Pastrana's Conservative Party. With Mr Pastrana now firmly in the Uribe camp, the Conservative Party is unlikely to field a presidential candidate, instead backing Mr Uribe. With the opposition Liberal Party hopelessly divided, Mr Uribe, with this one appointment, has brought his re-election hopes a giant step closer, BBC reports.

Weds 03 – US certifies Colombia on Human Rights; freed without charges after 2 years.

• The US State Department announces that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has certified that Colombia 's government and armed forces have met congressional human rights standards to qualify for full funding of U.S. assistance. Congress has imposed conditions on U.S. assistance in an attempt to curb rights abuses in Colombia as it tries to pacify the country. Amnesty International USA immediately challenged Rice's certification announcement. "This decision is a major blow to the promotion of human rights in Colombia and is based on only the narrowest reading of the law and the thinnest of evidence," said Dr. William Schulz, AI-USA's executive director, Washington Post reports.
• After 2 years in prison, the authorities have freed without charges 111 out of the 117 people originally detained in a massive raid in Quinchia (Risaralda). Only six of the detained are still in prison and one other died whilst in detention. Among those detained were doctors from the hospital, firemen, teachers, councillors and even the Mayor of Quinchia, who was elected while he was in prison. Authorities also detained a blind person, accusing him of guarding an arms stockpile for an armed group, El Tiempo reports.
• The Secretariat of the FARC group demands that government forces clear out of two mountain areas before talks on hostage releases can take place. Hopes that about 63 hostages might soon be freed sank at the news. In the public statement, the FARC said it wanted two municipalities to be demilitarised in order for the negotiations to take place. "Without this guarantee... it would be useless," the statement said. It said it would be willing to release about 60 hostages in a prisoner exchange, but demanded that two guerrilla commanders - Ricardo Palmera and Nayibe Rojas, both recently extradited to the United States on drug charges - be part of the return deal. The offer was promptly rejected by the government, BBC reports.
• Defending the good offices of the French government in Colombia, delegate from the European Union in Colombia, Adrianus Koetsenruijter reports that neither the government nor the FARC should dismiss the experience of the French government in mediating in peace processes around the world adding that both parts should take seriously the offer to help negotiate peace, Colprensa reports.

Thurs 04 – Bush to continue Plan Colombia until 2010; Court questions Mancuso & Castaño.

• President Bush pledges to sustain funding for continuing Plan Colombia until 2010. However, a senior State Department official said the US wanted to reduce its anti-narcotics aid for Bogota after its massive assistance programme lapses later this year. ‘We would like them to share more of the burden’, the official said. Washington is waiting for Bogota to make a formal request for how much aid it needs following Plan Colombia . Critics say the Uribe administration spent hundreds of millions of dollars on military hardware and beefing up the armed forces rather than tackling the problems that spawned the guerrilla movements, Reuters reports.
• The Colombian Supreme Court judges are looking into allegations of corruption in Colombia 's Congress, questioning Colombian warlords Salvatore Mancuso and Vicente Castaño about whether their militia have bribed lawmakers. Mancuso and other leaders of the AUC have publicly stated that their outlawed paramilitary group commands the loyalty of more than a third of the country's lawmakers. But after the closed-door court hearing, Mancuso took a step back from his earlier assertions. "When we say we control about 35 percent of Congress, we are saying that those lawmakers were elected in zones of paramilitary influence," he told reporters outside the courtroom in Bogota . Several lawmakers have been accused of having ties to the paramilitaries, notably congresswomen Rocio Arias and Eleonora Pineda , Washington Post reports.
• The Colombian army reports that it has killed eight combatants from the Occidental bloc of the paramilitaries in the rural area of Sabanalarga (Antioquia), praising the collaboration of the inhabitants in the area. In other developments the army also said they have detained an important member of the FARC’s IX front in the outskirts of Medellin believed to be in command of the militias in the area, El Colombiano reports.
• Bogota-based NGO MINGA (Association for Alternative Social Promotion) reports the difficult situation that communities in the Putumayo department are facing, not only due to the armed strike of the FARC group but also with the reports that a paramilitary group has carried out a massacre of at least 20 people in the rural area of San Miguel, in the settlements of San Carlos, La Balastrera, El Sabalo, La Cristalina and Puerto Colon, MINGA calls upon the civilian authorities to verify these reports and protect the civilians in the area.

Colombia This Week is a news summary produced and distributed by ABColombia Group. Sources include daily Colombian, US, European and Latin American newspapers, and reports from non-governmental organisations and the UN System. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the ABColombia Group.

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