THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Colombia Military Officers Meet With FARC (...) The arrival of active-duty officers, though, had been fiercely opposed by conservatives in Colombia who say that the militarys duty is to fight the FARC, not negotiate with the group. Some of the most prominent critics, including former President Álvaro Uribe, said that Mr. Santoss government is manipulating the military to win more public support for the talks, which some Colombians believe have taken too long. This is putting our military and police on an equal level with the FARC terrorists, Mr. Uribe, now a senator, said in a phone interview. We have a rule of law in Colombia. The mission of the armed forces is to provide security for our people. Mr. Uribe warned that involving active-duty military could lead to a bilateral cease-fire, which he said would benefit the FARC. Mr. Uribe instead said that the FARC should unilaterally end hostilities to show that it is committed to a peace deal. What is the reason for sending the military at this moment? Mr. Uribe said. Instead of imposing conditions on the FARC to bring about a unilateral cease-fire, a bilateral cease-fire deal will be put together in the middle of the conflict. Colombian government officials have said that the opponents of the talks, including Mr. Uribe, have escalated their criticism for political gain. Mr. Uribe, in fact, leads a bloc of newly elected senators and representatives in congress that has one main plank: to batter the negotiations as a sellout to the FARC.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:41:50 +0000
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