"A country that has been involved in the conflict in Colombia must also be involved in providing resources for a new era of peace and reconciliation," said FARC spokesman, Arturo Alape, in Havana after another day of dialogue with the Colombian government.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is travelling on Wednesday to Washington, where he will meet with President Barack Obama for the 15th anniversary of Plan Colombia.
Plan Colombia was a US-backed attempt to fight Colombian drug cartels and guerrilla groups by providing over 10 billion US dollars between 2000 and 2015 and logistical support for the government.
Critics of the program have said that the plan had minimal impact on the drugs trade and overlooked human rights crimes carried out by Colombian security forces.
"These 15 years have been a painful, national tragedy which saw the number of victims and those displaced rise," Alape said.
Santos' government has defended Plan Colombia as having been successful, saying although it did not wipe out the drugs trade, it helped Colombia grow stronger and the FARC was forced to enter peace talks.
In Washington, Santos hopes to discuss plans to expand cooperation with the United States during the South American country's peace process with the FARC, with a final peace deal expected to be signed on March 23.
[Xinhua]
4/2/16
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Obama announces new "Peace Colombia" plan with more funding for Bogota ...
ReplyDeleteU.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday announced the "Peace Colombia" plan, a new bilateral accord between Washington and Bogota for which he will ask Congress for some $450 million in the fiscal 2017 budget, substantially more than the $296 million authorized for that country this year.
The president announced the proposal during the White House ceremony to commemorate the 15 years of Plan Colombia accompanied in the East Room by his Colombian counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos, in a gesture intended to redefine U.S. aid for the Andean nation.
Obama said he was proud to announce a new framework for the next chapter in the bilateral association after praising the efforts of Santos to achieve an end to Colombia's more-than-50-year-old internal conflict against leftist guerrillas.
He said that Plan Colombia has been a tribute to the Colombian people, who after "15 years of sacrifices" are now on the threshold of a new era after a noteworthy nationwide transformation.
"In short, a country that was on the brink of collapse is now on the brink of peace," Obama said. "In Colombia today, there is hope."
He also said he wanted to deepen relations with Colombia in other areas such as trade and investment in clean energy, assuring Bogota that it will not find a "better partner" than the United States.....http://www.efe.com/efe/english/portada/obama-announces-new-peace-colombia-plan-with-more-funding-for-bogota/50000260-2830741?utm_source=wwwefecom&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss#
5/2/16