Columbia: FARC makes ultimatum to government

The leadership of FARC warns the Colombian government to take the negotiation process seriously in a communication issued on November 6th.

The leadership of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia have warned President Andres Pestrana to take concrete action following the government’s promises to the negotiating commission. The government had promised to cease low swoops by military aircraft over FARC-controlled areas and to cease paramilitary activity.

The paramilitary groups are often composed by Colombian army personnel, trained and equipped by the USA, who perform terrorist attacks on civilians in FARC-controlled areas. These paramilitary groups are fascist and undemocratic in nature and perform wanton cruelty, including burnings, rape and other forms of torture.

FARC also requests the Colombian government to make the position clear that this armed force is not involved in international terrorism, nor is it engaged in narcotics trafficking. As the FARC leadership has made clear, FARC imposes a tax on the cocaine growers just like any other grower or producer in the areas it controls. The trafficking is undertaken by operatives within the country of consumption, where 80% of the profit from illicit drug-trafficking activity is made, in this case, the United States itself.

The United States of America has recently made declarations, through high officials, that FARC is a terrorist organisation which is responsible for the cocaine problem in the cities of the USA. FARC declares that this is an excuse for the United States to increase its military and political activity in the region, where it will do anything to prevent a left-wing regime from being installed.

It will be remembered that the antidemocratic Contras financed, equipped and trained by the USA in Nicaragua cost this country 30,000 dead and made it impossible for Daniel Ortega to put into practice his democratic and popular programme.

FARC also demands that the economic blockade against the areas it controls should be lifted, so as to provide an environment for serious debate on the country’s grave social and political problems. FARC was forced to take up arms to defend the population against oligarchic, fascist and imperialist regimes set up by the USA in Bogota; not that this organisation is trying to negotiate from a position of seriousness and equality, the government makes every effort to provoke conflict and to destabilise the country.

Such incidents have occurred recently in Balsillas, Tres Filos, La Alegria and Mortinos, where Colombian army personnel violated the demilitarised zone in hostile military activities. To prove the seriousness of its approach. FARC requests the Colombian government to nominate a committee for each region to verify whether or not the agreements made by the government and FARC have been put into practice. The committee should be composed by a municipal councillor, na alderman, a trader, a person engaged in transportation, a local councillor, a teacher and a priest.

FARC proves in this way that it is a democratic organisation, deeply concerned with social progress for the people of Columbia. It is up to the Colombian government to make clear signs that it does not want to breach the agreements it made with FARC.

Juan BLANCO