Peace in Colombia Possible If U.S. Troops Withdraw

In order to strike up peace talks with the government and find a possible political outlet to the armed conflict, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) considers it necessary that the U.S. troops remaining in that South American nation abandon that territory.

In a FARC communiqué, published by the New Colombia News Agency (Anncol), the insurgent group assures that they do not to have any objections to meeting with the authorities of the Colombian government in order to discuss the subjects of the freeing of the kidnapped and a political solution to the armed conflict.

Furthermore, they request that the Colombian president, Álvaro Uribe, stop referring to the rebel group with the expression “terrorist,” while at the same time having insisted that the status of the belligerent force of FARC be recognized.

In the document, the FARC stress that “for the government of Uribe, in Colombia, a sociopolitical conflict does not exist. Instead, it is a war of the state against terrorism. With this assumption, complimentary to the most intense instructive manipulation, it is believed with justification and Corsican patent; in order to undo its state terrorism against the people, and in order to deny a political solution and the right to peace.”

The armed group considers that “Colombia is a country formally invaded, occupied militarily by American troops,” a situation that, in addition to the “absurd perception” of the government with its war against terrorism, will worsen the conflict.

“Uribe is not instructed by his masters from Washington; not for barter nor for peace,” the text adds.

Moreover, the rebel association is, “in search of roads toward peace, not as a negotiation, because it is not, but as a vast collective force to achieve agreements that make it possible to attack the roots that give rise to the Colombian conflict.”

They also recall that they have “planted the necessity to converse in order to achieve exchange agreements which would not only permit the freedom of prisoners of war from both sides, but would advance in humanizing the conflict and surely gain ground on the road towards final agreements.”

“To converse and to jointly search for solutions to the great problems of the country should not be considered anyone’s concession. Instead, it is a realist scenario and possible endeavor, again, to detain the war between Colombians beginning with the civility of some dialogue,” the communiqué adds.

“If we are going to speak about peace, the North American troops should leave the country,” the document points out — dated in the mountains of Colombia and signed by the Secretariat of Central High Command of the FARC.