Mr. Jan Egeland and Mr. James Lemoyne
The United Nations
Bogota D.C.
Dear Sirs:
First of all, receive our fraternal greetings; then we shall refer to your
letter of the 15th of this month in which you request an interview with us
on next 18th.
1. You are right when you affirm that the present process of
dialogues
between the Government and the FARC-EP is in grave crisis, in view of the
evident risk that it would terminate shortly. If that happens, it shall be
the responsibility of the President of the Republic, his Government and the
political, economic and social sectors it represents.
2. As the public is aware, two days after the signing of the San
Francisco
de la Sombra Accords, in his statement of last October 7 the President of
the Republic unilaterally liquidated the agreement on the guarantees for the
dialogues and negotiations, which had given rise to the current process. He
did so by means of a series of conditions unacceptable to the FARC, such as
the establishment of two categories of foreigners. Those foreigners who are
friends of the government can come to the demilitarized zone without
restrictions and those it does not like are prevented from doing so.
3. In spite of the above government measures against the policy of
dialogues advanced by the two sides, to pursue solutions to the process�s
crisis the leader of the FARC-EP himself, in open letters to President
Pastrana and the High Commissioner for Peace, formulated far reaching
proposals concerning the guarantees required in order to reactivate the
Table. To this day, Comrade Marulanda is waiting for the reply he has yet
to receive.
4. We also sent the texts of the letters in question to you for the
purpose
of making you officially aware of the FARC-EP�s proposals from their leader
and we have not received your opinions. We sent them with the intention of
providing you with our information, thinking to prevent the government in
Bogota from limiting or distorting it, since they say one thing there and
another here.
5. Once you read the letters of the Chief Commandant of the FARC-EP,
you
will find the political elements together with the guarantees requested, for
giving continuity to the dialogues. You will realize that without them it
is impossible to go forward with the discussion of the themes on the table
and that it is false and tendentious to claim we are not carrying out
commitments undertaken with the government.
6. With respect to the investments the U.N. would make in the
demilitarized municipalities, Commandant
Marulanda asked you about the possibility of doing a study of the soils of
the plains of Yari region with the aim of increasing the cattle and crop
production of this forgotten area, but he does not yet have a response or
results for his proposal.
7. In spite of the above, the FARC-EP maintain unchanged their
struggle for peace with social justice, independent of who may be the
current President, always provided that there are sufficient guarantees and
the political will on the part of the government to invest resources in the
solution of the principal needs affecting the dispossessed population.
8. Finally, we want to express to you that we value highly your
mediation effort as representatives of the U.N., for the purpose of
facilitating the resolution of the process�s current difficulties. As soon
as the central government removes the measures that in a discriminatory
manner restrict the access of some foreigners to the zone, we can hold the
meeting you are requesting.
Attentively,
Raul Reyes
International Commission FARC-EP
Nov. 16, 2001
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