YouSaid · the spoken record

Álvaro Uribe Vélez

lines on the record: 112
first: 2002-09-24
most recent: 2009-09-24
sittings or episodes: 7
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Every country, as well as the United Nations, as our universal Organization, can contribute to making these hopes a reality and to bringing peace, security and comprehensive development to our peoples, thereby reaching the goals we set for ourselves for the early years of this century. Our warm regards go out to the people of the United States, which has been battered by Hurricane Katrina. We wish to express our resolute solidarity with those who have been its victims. It is our hope that, in a few days, relief and rescue experts from Colombia will be on the ground in affected communities in the United States. We are all committed to one task, namely, meeting the social goals of the millennium.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We also hope that the Organization will emerge strengthened from that debate, in order that it may effectively promote institutional democracy governed by progressive and inclusive legal processes in every country comprising the community of nations. Led by the United Nations, contemporary diplomacy must become more austere in its spending and rely more upon the Internet and modern communications than on travel, in order to avoid becoming a heavy and debilitating burden upon countries and to ensure that the resources saved on organizations, expenditures and contractors can truly reach communities in need. I wish to reiterate that the issue of austerity vis-à-vis world diplomacy is absent in our approach to United Nations reform, and we should include it.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Let this be an opportunity to draw attention to the threat of rising oil prices and the lack of energy alternatives for poor countries that are net importers. There are already signs of disturbance that could lead to grave disruptions of institutional stability. Ignoring that problem could raise greater obstacles in our fight against poverty and prevent us from achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Many countries, including brotherly countries in Central America and the Caribbean, require immediate action to help finance the supply of fuel and the development of new fuel sources. I would like to reiterate the gratitude of the Colombian people for the effective presence and solidarity of the United Nations in our country. We hope that the debate on the issue of reform will further strengthen multilateralism.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The “forest-keeper families” programme, involving some 33,000 families committed to maintaining their areas free from drugs and to supervising the recovery of the tropical forest, as well as a programme to provide care to the displaced and reintegrated, will cost Colombia some $300 million dollars next year. We stand firm in the fight against terrorism and in our conviction that a sustained and permanent victory depends upon the success of each individual country in 23 the struggle for social cohesion. In projecting our security policy as a mainstay of the State, we believe it to be intrinsically linked to the ongoing improvement of the social conditions of our people. The distinction between authority and social policy is erroneous. Peace stems from authority, but lasting peace will require us to weave a social fabric of equity.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“This year, 500,000 families will be involved in Colombia’s programme — poor families that receive a State subsidy to feed and educate their children. In the near future, that number will rise to 1 million, in addition to the increase budgetary efforts undertaken under the aegis of the educational revolution. In 2006, 10 million children will benefit from our nutrition programmes, and 570,000 elderly citizens will receive stipends to cover their most pressing needs. Our social policy also comprises ongoing efforts to strengthen alternative development programmes in order to allow us definitively to overcome the problem of illicit drugs. Through such programmes, the international community has a unique opportunity to contribute to and implement the principle of shared responsibility.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“I wish to cite three of the seven chapters of our social policy. The educational revolution is an axis of social cohesion and the road towards equality, the redistribution of income, and the opening of new channels for social mobility, without which democracy will remain incomplete. Promoting a country of owners emphasizes the financing of medium, small and micro enterprises in order to overcome the barrier of access to credit, a hateful form of discrimination that hinders democracy. Comprehensive social protection, which in three years’ time will provide health insurance to all people living in poverty, has allowed us to register progress in the provision of child nutrition, to ensure access to education and to improve the well-being of the elderly.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We have increased fumigation to rid our country of the illicit drugs that finance terrorism, and we are optimistic with regard to manual eradication. By the end of 2005, some 30,000 hectares of illegal crops should be destroyed. We require greater support from the international community in order to provide our peasants with alternative opportunities. Democratic security has allowed investors to regain their confidence, and we have begun to see early signs of declining unemployment. In that way, we will find the resources to face yet another challenge — that of overcoming poverty and building a nation based on total social cohesion. Our social policy is framed by a long-term vision and short-term goals under constant review, in keeping with the Millennium Development Goals, the fulfilment of which we reaffirmed yesterday in this Hall.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The Government’s door remains open to negotiation so long as the agreement on cessation of hostilities remains accepted. We need the world to support our plans for reintegration. I ask members to imagine the magnitude of the challenge. We have 20,000 former combatants — a number that could double in coming years — individuals who have hitherto lived by the gun and are accustomed to killing. What better contribution could there be to peace than the definitive rejection of illegality? To that end, we need the world’s help in providing new opportunities for rehabilitation and social integration. We are implementing a law on justice and peace, which is applicable to all terrorist groups. By comparison with earlier Colombian laws and those of other countries, our law raises the bar in terms of justice and reparations for victims.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“To that end, we need the participation and support of the international community. The opposition in Colombia has always had safeguards, but today those guarantees are truly effective thanks to democratic security. Colombia has always embraced the cause of human rights, but those are now enjoying more tangible respect thanks to democratic security. While strengthening citizen’s confidence in their institutions, the concept of security that we profess and practice requires those who opt for violence to cease hostilities and prepare to negotiate a lasting peace. The decisive and firm action to thwart those who practice terror, along with a generous policy for those who choose to abandon armed intimidation, have allowed the demobilization and reintegration of 20,000 out of some 50,000 terrorists.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We wish to reconfigure the equation and to finally have a State that is strong enough to guarantee Colombians the effectiveness of their freedoms and protect them from all threats. Given a democracy that is deep-rooted and without ambiguities, no violent action can enjoy a veneer of legitimacy; on the contrary, it must be disqualified and branded as terrorist. We therefore express our solidarity with those who have suffered from the actions of terror. For three consecutive years, the number of homicides, kidnappings and other terrorist crimes has fallen in Colombia. We have not yet won the struggle against terrorism, but we are winning it. That victory 22 will bring peace and progress to our country and, with illicit drugs uprooted from our soil, the world will feel great relief.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Colombia is working on a concept of democratic security, enshrined in global security. We call it democratic because it differs from the doctrine of national security that was applied in the continent and used to suppress freedoms, punish democracy, stigmatize the opposition and frustrate dissent. Our security is aimed at deepening democracy. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that this process of re- establishing security is recognized as a democratic value by all schools of thought. We are determined that security shall be provided on equal terms, efficiently and transparently, to those closest to the Government, as well as to its most hardened opponents. In Colombia, the security problem has been the product of the weakness of the State in facing criminals.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The mindset that characterizes Governments as being of the left or of the right is a simplistic view that produces a polarized political atmosphere. It has triggered irreconcilable emotions and sensitivities that are inconsistent with the actions of our Governments and threaten the unity of our countries. I dare suggest that, in their place, we use five parameters to qualify our democracies. They are security with a democratic scope; the effective protection of public freedoms; transparency as a factor of confidence; social cohesion as a principle of democratic sustainability; and the independence of institutions. With these parameters, we can define a democracy as institutional or only skin-deep; as governed by judicial order or by personal whim; as progressive or backward, inclusive or exclusive.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“To exercise those faculties, it is necessary for States to guarantee democratic opportunities that allow each individual to contribute to and compete in the quest for the collective good. There can be no room for any form of ideological stasis, which would discourage emulation, fail to recognize intelligence, and paralyse creativity in the search for solutions to people’s problems. Recognizing diversity and the evolution of thought is the source of our vocation for pluralism. It guides the struggle against terrorism that we have carried out with democratic conviction for three long years. Now that dictatorships are expressions of the past and democracy is an indestructible paradigm, it is time to review certain concepts that are becoming obsolete and must be replaced with more useful and contemporary ones.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“It is worth mentioning, among others, former President Alberto Lleras Camargo, one of the first and most fierce and efficient defenders of the principle of legal equality between States. He was also a champion of common defence, which compels democratic States to come to one another’s defence should one of them be the victim of aggression. Colombia had the privilege of presiding, through Eduardo Zuleta, over the opening of the first session of the General Assembly. His vision of the Organization is as valid today as it was 60 years ago, as you, Sir, recently acknowledged in your speech to the Assembly. The diversity and evolution of thought are human gifts.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We congratulate you, Sir, on your election and wish you every possible success in the ongoing reform process. The celebration of the sixtieth anniversary is an ideal moment to reiterate my country’s commitment to the goals and principles of the United Nations. We express our support for the task of reforming the Organization. Colombia’s adherence to multilateralism is based on its active participation throughout the United Nations process, from the signing of the Charter in San Francisco on the June 26 1945 to today, with many of its agencies present in my country supporting our national policies to solve the problems we face. It is a source of pride that many Colombians have left their mark on the Organization.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“A democratic State has the right to ask the world to demand that the terrorists return their kidnap victims rather than clamouring for lopsided agreements with terrorists. We ask the world for more decisive and more effective support. If it is broadened, the violent groups will have no option but to abandon terrorism and to accept peace. With the people of Colombia, its democratic institutions and the international community united, we can make Colombia an example of the capacity to defeat terrorism and observe human rights. And we can make Colombia an example of the ability to defeat terrorism and of the will to build social justice. We will expel terror with the help of legitimate institutions and of a community of solidarity and justice, with opportunities for its poorest members.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Terrorism in one country feeds and strengthens terrorist networks throughout the world. The widows and orphans of violence in our country ask why we attach so much importance to terrorism in other parts of the world, and why some attach so little to the terrorism that besets Colombia. I make this appeal from the depths of our profound democratic conviction. It is difficult to find another country facing such a challenge of terrorism while simultaneously strengthening its democracy. Today, Colombia offer effective guarantees for the exercise of political pluralism by means of our democratic security policy. Our institutions combat terrorism with the unflinching political will of the Government. They do so with courage, selflessness and transparency. A dirty war has no place in our policies.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Building that consensus requires each State to feel that it is being heard and that it is being taken into account. I am grateful for the support of the United Nations agencies in social matters. We are fully prepared to back the efforts of the international community to consolidate democracy and security in the region, especially in Haiti. Colombia will be part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. We will cooperate with police experts in the fight against drug trafficking, as well as with the humanitarian presence. Mr. Baali (Algeria), Vice-President, took the Chair. We must all join in an effective international solidarity movement with our Caribbean brothers, who are so seriously affected by the hurricane season. We need the total commitment of the international community in the struggle against terrorism in Colombia.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We expect that that mechanism will be used to advance constructive agrarian reform. By paying additional taxes, the Colombian people are making an effort to finance security measures and restore social investment levels, for a total that represents 2 per cent of our gross domestic product. We have received the support of the multilateral banks, but we require greater understanding from the financial markets: longer-term loans and lower interest rates. We are engaged in an intense struggle, and we need better access to the markets of the industrialized countries. I would like to reaffirm Colombia’s commitment to multilateralism. Multilateralism must continuously improve if it is to become more effective and restore the lost consensus for safeguarding international peace.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“To guarantee their food security, we are also subsidizing 700,000 farmers, and 3 that number will soon reach 1 million; we are also subsidizing the crops of farmers’ associations until they become productive and competitive. Poverty indicators should take account of such subsidies, which are usually not included when measuring the income of those families. Colombia has suffered a tragedy in the form of internal displacement. We have reduced its incidence by 40 per cent, but it is still high. We have facilitated the return of more 70,000 people and we expect that number to increase. One State agency alone has multiplied eightfold its budget to care for displaced persons. As a result of a law approved at the beginning of this Government’s tenure, the process for “ownership extinction” for illegally acquired assets has moved more quickly.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We are also subsidizing more than 7,000 reintegrated former members of various violent groups. This is part of a huge, silent, but effective peace process. When one of those persons is reintegrated, he sees the support of the State and the community, reconciles himself with civic institutions, embraces democracy and coexistence and rejects any justification for violence. We hope that many more thousands will follow, but we will require international cooperation for this programme. We are subsidizing 21,000 forest ranger families, who were formerly involved in illicit drug crops and are now committed to eliminating them and to recovering their tropical forests. Their task is essential for mankind, considering Colombia’s rich biodiversity and its 578,000 square kilometres of jungle, which are threatened by illicit drugs.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“By December, when this Administration will have been in office for 28 months, more than 4 million poor Colombians will have enrolled in the subsidized health programme, in addition to the 13 million who were already protected. We are carrying out legal and administrative reforms to increase coverage, with improved transparency and an effective and efficient use of resources. Colombia has more than 600,000 senior adults living in extreme poverty. In the past, 60,000 of them received a cash subsidy. This year, we have raised the number to 172,000 of our elderly compatriots. We are now starting a new programme to deliver one meal a day to 400,000 more who do not receive the cash subsidy. In addition, this year we are paying more than $100 million in subsidies to provide electricity to low- income members of the population.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In 25 months we have increased technical training by two and a half times, promoting basic employment skills to enable young people to join the work force while continuing their studies. In the cities and in the countryside, we have been carrying out a silent revolution in technical training that will reach 4 million young people a year by 2006. A subsidy is being paid to 340,000 poor families to improve their children’s nutrition and ensure school attendance. There are now 503,000 children in the new breakfast programme for children under five; that number will double in 2005. That, together with the school cafeterias and the “Community Mothers” programme, will reach more than 6 million children under various nutrition programmes.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“To a great extent, our social investment programme depends on sound and sustained economic growth. Therefore, our social investment programme goes hand in hand with our democratic security policy. If we neglect security measures that respect democratic values, terrorism will grow, we will lose momentum in defeating it, investment will be affected, the strength of our economic recovery will weaken and we could be left without resources for social investment. Today’s equality lies in economic and social opportunity. That is why we have placed so much emphasis on education. We have increased elementary school enrolment by 750,000, but the country still needs classroom space for 1.25 million new pupils.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“A positive sign is that jobs are being created in sectors that will provide for social security and fair wages for workers. All that has happened despite fiscal restrictions to public investment and in the midst of an intense struggle to eliminate illicit drugs, which have become so significant that they now affect whether there will be positive or negative growth in our agricultural sector. At one time, my generation explained violence as the result of social inequities. My country’s experience over many decades allows me to affirm that terrorist violence has increased poverty and has destroyed the possibility of eliminating social inequity. Violence has worsened poverty and has exploited it to perpetuate itself. Our goal is to reduce poverty at a rate equal to or higher than economic growth.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In relatively few years, the deficit 2 increased from 1.5 per cent to 4.2 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), public debt rose from 24 per cent to 54 per cent of GDP and 40 per cent of the public budget was allocated to debt servicing and repayment. Very low levels of private investment only made the situation worse. Defeating poverty requires strong and sustained economic growth. This in turn requires physical and legal security, transparent regulations and macroeconomic stability. Last year, Colombia forecast growth of 2.5 per cent — but growth was close to 4 per cent. This year we are endeavouring to achieve 5 per cent growth. We are able to do because we are restoring confidence among investors. With such growth, unemployment has fallen three points, although it is still quite high.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The contrast became increasingly obvious between the formal private sector — which was fair with its workers and complied with its tax payments, but which grew at a slow pace — and the informal sector, which, with its overwhelming influence, drew in the destitute masses. Drug trafficking, which bankrolls terrorism, reversed the trend towards land distribution, through agrarian reform and the natural process of inheritance from one generation to the next. Between 1994 and 2000, unemployment among heads of household grew from 4 per cent to 10 per cent, and overall unemployment grew from 7.5 per cent to 19 per cent.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“When trust is destroyed, the ties between the citizen and the nation are broken. Such trust requires transparency in public and private actions, as well as economic revitalization and social cohesion. Social cohesion builds trust among citizens and between citizens and the State. Social cohesion is the enemy of poverty and helps to promote equal opportunities. Colombia has established a legal framework to ensure that the benefits of economic growth lead to poverty eradication. Yet Colombia’s growth, which during the 1960s and 1970s was averaging 4.5 per cent a year, fell to an average of 2 per cent after 1980. That decline encouraged the informal economy, and was accompanied by poverty.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“I am addressing the General Assembly once again, at a time when the people and the institutions of Colombia are making great progress in their struggle to achieve democratic security. Such security would enable all citizens to live in peace, express their political views without putting their lives in danger and to support or oppose the Government while fully respecting different opinions. That policy has made significant progress in reducing murders, kidnappings and other terrorist acts, as well as population displacement and the growing of illicit drug crops. There is still a great deal to be done, but if we are persistent we will prevail. Democratic security is one of Colombia’s highest priorities if we are to regain credibility and if our citizens are once again to have confidence in our institutions.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It would be a tragedy if the civilized world does not unite its efforts once and for all to defeat terrorism and to support the democracies that are fighting against it. We need the unity of all democratic people in order to defeat terror.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Security is the most important human right of the poor, who need our policy to be successful so that there can be peace, confidence, investment, employment and equity. Amidst tragedies, the Colombian democracy is vigorous. On 25 October, our citizens will decide whether to accept a referendum to defeat corruption and to strengthen social investment. And the following day the people will elect 30 governors from among 133 candidates; 914 mayors from among 3,441 candidates; 398 deputies from 373 lists composed of 2,723 candidates; approximately 9,000 municipal council members from 6,105 lists with 56,590 candidates; and local administrative boards from 3,156 lists with 13,387 candidates. Today, we live in a pluralistic and enthusiastic democracy, despite the challenge of terrorism.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We are making progress with limited resources in applying the seven tools for equality: an educational revolution, expanded social protection, an economy based on the principle of solidarity, rural social management, management of public services, building a country of owners and improving the quality of urban life. As examples of this, we have created new capacity for 500,000 children in schools, but we still have 1.5 million children who do not have access to primary education. Microcredit has increased by 50 per cent, but we are still far from being a country of owners. The social task is arduous, but with our characteristic determination we will overcome every obstacle in order to build a just society.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“If Colombia does not destroy illegal drugs, illegal drugs will destroy the Amazon Basin. If Colombia does not stop terrorism, it will jeopardize the democracies of the region. The President of Ecuador, Lucio Gutiérrez, and the Rio Group, have understood that. The Rio Group endorsed the proposal that the United Nations continue to make efforts for negotiations with the Colombian terrorists, or, if that is not possible, to seek alternatives to overcome the problem. Our rule of law calls for a social commitment. Poverty and inequality have worsened as a result of terrorism.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We are looking for the broadest possible consensus. We invite everyone to examine the various options and to achieve, through the process of amendments, the best final text. We have no doubt about defeating terrorism. However, there are times that call for adjusting the equation between justice and peace in order to reach a consolidated peace. We agree with what was expressed by Secretary- General Kofi Annan, who has proposed an excellent balance between the need for justice and the need to save innocent lives. To protect our communities, we need to pursue terrorists relentlessly and not miss opportunities to obtain peace agreements with them, provided that, through their actions, they convince the Colombian people and the world of their good faith and their desire for rectification. Our problem is an international threat.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“To reintegrate members of the various groups into civilian life, Colombia requires a judicial framework that realistically defines how to achieve justice, repair damage to the community and ensure peace. The alternative sentence proposal, submitted by the Government for congressional consideration, sets forth a legal and transparent procedure that will allow for progress towards a negotiated peace solution with the illegal paramilitary groups, the FARC and the ELN. I understand the concern raised by offering diminished sentences for grave crimes. But, in a context of 30,000 terrorists, it must also be understood that a definitive peace is the best justice for a nation in which several generations have never gone through a single day without experiencing an act of terrorism. The proposal has prompted national and international controversy.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The ELN is holding seven foreign citizens whom it should release, in keeping with its promise to cease its crimes during the current electoral process. Since the last Government, we have also sought a peace process with the illegal paramilitary groups, with the mediation of the Catholic Church. The condition is the same — the cessation of hostilities. Groups of those organizations, which represent 10,000 or more people, have expressed the willingness to demobilize. The Government is making progress in that process. During my Administration, 2,250 members of terrorist groups have been demobilized; 70 per cent of them belong to the FARC, 18 per cent to the ELN and 12 per cent to illegal paramilitary groups.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“I reaffirm to the Secretary-General my commitment to find a solution, to be recommended by him, to free the hostages, under conditions that are in keeping with legal norms and that do not intensify violence. Since the last Colombian Government, we have sought, through Cuba, on the one hand, and several additional Governments on the other, a peace process with the National Liberation Army (ELN). We have made every effort, which, to date, has been futile. The leaders of that group who are in jail have received the best treatment possible. On 30 June, through a facilitation commission, I offered to examine an ELN prisoner release proposal, in exchange for their renunciation of armed activity and their dedication to help achieve peace. I did not get a positive response, but I will continue to insist on this.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“10 This Government found approximately 30,000 people who belong to illegal terrorist organizations, defined in this way because of the nature of their actions. Consideration and reflection on that figure dictates the need to continue with a strong authoritarian policy and of opening avenues for negotiation once hostilities have ceased. I welcome the efforts made by the Secretary- General this past year to seek paths to peace with the FARC. The Government supports his good offices, which, until now, have been unsuccessful because of the lack of willingness on the part of the terrorists. That group has kidnapped hundreds of Colombians and some foreign citizens, most of whom are kept in concentration camps that recall the Nazi era.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We want to overcome terrorism and be able to look to the international community with the certainty that we have acted in strict compliance with the law. In order to fight impunity, we have incorporated the accusatory penal system and oral procedure, which will begin in 2005. At the present time we are introducing a constitutional change to allow the armed forces to proceed with specialized personnel, in cases of terrorism, to carry out raids, conduct property searches and undertake interceptions. Those actions will be conducted with democratic safeguards, allowing for an independent attorney to intervene quickly. The attorney’s office and Congress will be informed. The proposed measures are infinitely less rigorous than the current laws of democracies that do not have the high levels of terrorism that we have in Colombia.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We have hired 5,400 families as forest rangers, as part of our goal to recruit 50,000 families. They receive economic compensation to replace illicit crops for the purpose of replanting and taking care of the rainforest. A more effective law designed to confiscate illicit drug wealth has allowed for the increase in the number of rulings in one year from 5 to 68. In Colombia’s current situation, terrorism, illicit drugs, violence and insecurity are really the same thing. We plead for a commitment from the world so that we are able to completely defeat drugs. We implore the world not to harbour our terrorists, to help us confiscate their goods and to open their doors only to help peace processes. Our country is a State based on law.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“If we request international support, it is because we are open to international monitoring. We respect the human rights organizations and their workers who proceed seriously and we respect their criticism and constructive suggestions. Those organizations contribute to improving democratic conditions. That is why we agree with the Human Rights Watch report on the recruitment of children by terrorist groups. We reserve the right, however, to disagree with false reports which distort our efforts to consolidate a democratic concept of security. As the United Nations has acknowledged, we have made substantial progress in destroying illicit drugs. We have eradicated 70 per cent of illicit crops, and we will not stop until we rid our country of that serious scourge. We have authorized the extradition of 94 persons for drug-trafficking crimes.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Because of my pure democratic conviction, I reaffirm our commitment to human rights. We have extended the stay of the Office of the United Nations Commissioner in Bogota. We agree with many of its recommendations. We have no doubt about seeking their implementation, and we will discuss the cases on which we disagree. Our requirement for the soldiers and the police is efficiency and respect for human rights. We encourage and care for our armed forces, as we demonstrated recently with the improvement of our social security system. However, we will not hesitate to send to jail those who break the law. The sacrifice of our soldiers and policemen has been enormous. This year, because of anti-personnel mines alone, 109 soldiers have been killed and 334 have been wounded, many of them mutilated for life.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“I reaffirm our commitment to fight to protect the indigenous communities and to put an end to forced displacement. Of the 246 mayors who in August 2002 were in exile from their municipalities as a result of threats, 191 have now returned, thanks to the improved security situation. The progress we have made in regard to the protection of our citizens encourages us to continue making efforts in that direction. Between 7 August 2002 and 7 August 2003, 2,544 members of illegal self-defence groups were captured, which represents an increase of 146 per cent. The number of those killed in combat by the armed forces has increased by 38.7 per cent, the number of guerrillas captured has increased by 126.3 per cent and the number of those killed in combat has increased by 78 per cent.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“This year, 24 such cases have been reported. The number of journalists murdered has dropped from 9 to 5. The decrease in overall crime is significant, but the numbers are still staggering. No country could feel safe under such circumstances. I reaffirm our democratic desire to protect, in particular, our teachers, union leaders and journalists. 9 I acknowledge with great sorrow that the number of indigenous people murdered has increased from 72 to 75. Illegal self-defence groups were responsible for 33 of those cases, with various guerrilla groups being responsible for the remainder. During the first six months of 2003, 73,586 cases of forced displacement were reported. This represents a decrease of 66 per cent. We are beginning successfully to return families to where they came from.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“But what country could accept 1,485 kidnappings in nine months? The number of massacres and the number of their victims have decreased by 35 per cent and 41 per cent respectively. We will be able to claim victory only when we have completely eliminated these attacks. Every terrorist act brings suffering to the whole nation. FARC carried out the car bombing of the club El Nogal, used a bomb in a boat in the rural town of Puerto Rico and exploded a truck bomb in the small town of Chita. These bombings together killed 47 people and injured 233. And just a few hours ago, in Florencia, another bomb has left 12 dead and wounded 46. The number of union members assassinated has declined from 120 to 36. Several of those responsible are now in jail, as a result of our determination to fight impunity. Sixty teachers were murdered in 2002.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The results thus far have been positive, and when the soldiers have completed their active duty, we hope to rely on them as permanent law- enforcement leaders. Such efforts, together with others that we have undertaken in similar areas, must continue so that the Government can rid the country of terrorism. I would like to share with the Assembly some of the achievements of my Administration during the first nine months of this year. The murder rate has decreased by 22 per cent when compared with the same period in 2002 — down from 21,253 to 16,531. The total of 1,485 kidnappings represents a reduction of 34.7 per cent over the same period last year; the number of victims of illegal road blocks decreased by 49 per cent, and the number of operations to rescue kidnapped people increased by 22.8 per cent.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“It is based on the dream of a pluralist nation that shares in an ongoing constructive debate in a spirit of brotherhood and without hatred. In an area of Colombia covering almost 1.2 million square kilometres, about 400,000 of them consisting of jungle, terrorists have taken advantage of the absence of a State presence in many places. A year ago, out of a total of 1,100 municipalities, 170 did not have a police presence. That number has been reduced to 151, and we hope to extend coverage to all the municipalities within a few weeks. Hundreds of smaller towns, however, lack a police force. We now have soldiers and marines — known as soldiers of the people — in 439 municipalities, under a programme that allows them to carry out their military service in their home town.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The United Nations itself recently suffered a terrorist attack, an act that resulted in the death of Sergio Vieira de Mello, a tireless campaigner for the coexistence of peoples. We deeply regret the loss of those who have sacrificed their lives as they worked to put an end to terrorism. Our obligation to reciprocate is all the greater as a result of the solidarity expressed by the United Nations towards Colombia. A year ago in the General Assembly I set out my democratic security policy, developed to free the Colombian people from terrorism. That policy is designed to protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of their social or economic status, political ideas or religious beliefs. The policy affords equal protection to business and union leaders as well as Government and opposition politicians.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“I should like to congratulate you, Sir, upon your election as President of the General Assembly, and to wish you every success in the performance of your duties. Despite the anxiety that we feel in the face of the terrorism that is affecting so many countries, we reaffirm our commitment to fight that scourge until we have defeated it. Colombia reaffirms its faith in multilateralism as the most effective system through which to seek peace, security and human, economic and social development. The United Nations is irreplaceable, even if, for the good of the humanity, its structure and procedures must be constantly updated so as to increase the efficiency of its anti-terrorism activities.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The money will not to be used for wasteful expenditures or to salvage bankruptcies, but will rather be invested, in the interest of the poor, to ensure governability. The people of Colombia are proud, hard-working, democratic and sensible; their spontaneity has not been stifled by their suffering. The nation has the most solid democratic tradition, widely recognized long-term economic performance, a highly diversified industrial base, a productive structure increasingly geared towards international markets, and an enormous potential for small democratic enterprises. Representatives of the peoples of the world: with your commitment and support, and with our own determination, Colombia will be freed from the slavery of violence and will be more prosperous, with greater justice.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)