Colombia This Week -- January 17, 2005

Fri 07 - Colombian NGOs voice concerns about the degradation of the conflict.

* Condemning the killing of 16 people on 31st December last year in the settlement of Puerto San Salvador (Arauca), the Colombian Permanent Committee for Human Rights and the Colombian Assembly of Civil Society for Peace report that this is a gross violation of the minimum principles of human dignity, adding that this massacre will accentuate the humanitarian crisis in this area.

* President Uribe expresses dismay with rebel claims that the rights of their leader were violated when he was extradited to the United States. * Members of FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) violate the human rights of those they capture ... deal in drugs and when we capture one of them go out and say those (from FARC) that are captured are having their rights violated,* said Uribe, El Tiempo reports.

* According to government figures, kidnappings in Colombia fell 36 percent last year as President Uribe Velez improved security against insurgents, paramilitaries and criminal gangs. Kidnappings fell to 1,441 in 2004 from 2,200 in 2003, according to figures released by Defence Minister Jorge Alberto Uribe at a press conference in Bogota. Abductions have fallen steadily since 2000, when they peaked at 3,706. Uribe said the FARC, the country's largest insurgent group, has decreased in size to about 13,000 members, from about 18,000 members a year and a half ago, Associated Press reports.

Sat 08 - Demobilised paramilitaries returning to their villages; PDI rejects coalition with Liberals.

* The Secretary of Government for the Antioquia region, Jorge Mejia highlights his concerns regarding the return of demobilised paramilitary individuals to their original villages. * Members of the Catatumbo, Bloque Bananero and Calima groups have contacted their local authorities, claiming the benefits that the Colombian government has promised them* . According to the government a payment of 300,000 pesos is due to them through the demobilisation programme, but funds come from national government sources, El Colombiano reports

* Congressman and President of the Democratic Independent Party (PDI) Gustavo Petro has rejected the Coalition proposal made by the former candidate of the Liberal Party, Horacio Serpa, to present a single candidate in the next election, reporting that the PDI has doubled its membership since last year, El Espectador reports.

* Ten days after the extradition to the U.S. of FARC commander Simon Trinidad (real name Ricardo Palmera), critics argue that the government's hardball tactics over Palmera may have closed the avenue for peace talks with the FARC at a later date. ''I'm very concerned that they're going to start sending people for show,'' said Marc Chernick, a professor of political science at Georgetown University. ''The government is walking on thin ice,'' Nieto said. * You just don't know when that ice will crack.'' ''This isn't just a legal measure [anymore],'' said former Deputy Justice Minister Rafael Nieto. * It has widespread political and military consequences as well.'' From a legal standpoint, it's not clear why Palmera was sent to the United States at all, Miami Herald reports.

Sun 09 - OFP denounces plans to kill its leader; extradition reflects new tactics in the conflict.

* The Colombian NGO Women's Popular Organisation (OFP) from Barrancabermeja reports a plan to kill their leader, Yolanda Becerra. According to reports, gunmen from a local paramilitary group said in a public place that plans to kill her are underway and that 'she was lucky' the first time they unsuccessfully tried to kill her while she was riding a motorcycle in Barrancabermeja.

* Many AUC leaders are wanted for drug trafficking in the United States, including its top leader, Salvatore Mancuso. After Colombia's Supreme Court approved Mancuso's extradition in late November, the AUC leader promptly demobilised 2,000 of his fighters. In return, the government agreed not to extradite Mancuso while he complied with terms of the peace negotiations and pushed other AUC fighters to do the same. * Extradition clearly is one of the major sticks that the government has at its disposal to help push the paramilitaries to accept a negotiated peace,* said Mark Schneider of the International Crisis Group in Washington, D.C. * You don't give up that leverage until there's substantial compliance with the disbanding of the command structure of the paramilitary.* More than 3,000 AUC fighters have demobilised since the peace talks began. An estimated 15,000 remain under arms, while AUC leaders wait for the government to decide on an amnesty law as well as the pending extraditions of other AUC leaders, the South Caroline State reports.

* Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez says he is convinced a Colombian guerrilla leader was kidnapped in his country. He accused the Colombian police of lying when they said Rodrigo Granda was captured in a Colombian border town. Granda, described as the unofficial foreign minister of the FARC rebels, apparently disappeared on 13th December. President Chavez says phone records appear to provide conclusive evidence that Granda was kidnapped in Caracas and smuggled across the border to Cucuta in Colombia. * This is a serious situation ... if the Colombian police really did violate Venezuelan sovereignty it will of course have an impact on our bilateral relations,* he said. But he insisted that rogue elements in both countries should not be allowed to undermine the recent improvement in relations between the two countries, Reuters reports.

* An editorial in El Tiempo disputes the figures recently presented by the Colombian Ministry of Defence, in which civilians captured during massive raids in recent months have been considered members of the armed groups. According to the report, 'almost 24,000 people have been included in this category', adding that 'it is unacceptable in a democratic state to categorise as 'members of armed groups' those civilians who have been freed without any charge.

Mon 10 - Defence Minister denies any 'wrong doing'; Danish NGO challenges EU terrorist list.

* A top Colombian official has denied Venezuelan allegations that Colombian police lied about where they captured a leftist rebel leader. Colombia's Defence Minister Jorge Alberto Uribe says neither the Colombian army nor other authorities violated Venezuela's territory or that of neighbouring countries, El Tiempo reports.

* Danish NGO Rebelión presents a proposal to the Danish Foreign Affairs Committee in which they recommend an international mission to mediate in conflict resolution through dialogue and not by military means. This NGO has been accused by the Colombian government of sending money to the FARC group, El Tiempo reports.

* Cambio magazine reports that although the Colombian Congress has approved the re-election bill, the Constitutional Court has already received seven complaints from the Congress on irregularities during the legislative process. The Court is due to reject or approve the re-election bill this year.

Tues 11 - Gunmen kill journalist in Cucuta ; six killed in clashes between FARC and Army.

* Gunmen on a motorbike in Cucuta kill a radio journalist known for his tough stance against corruption, police said. Julio Hernando Palacios, who hosted the * El Viento* (* The Wind* ) programme for independent Radio Lemas, was shot in the head and stomach as he drove to work in the city of Cucuta. Palacios survived an earlier attack in 1996 when unidentified assailants threw a hand-grenade into his office, but the device failed to explode. Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with at least 156 reporters killed between 1977 and 2004, according to government figures, AP reports.

* Six people are killed in clashes between the Colombian armed forces and the FARC group. The Army reported combats in Meta, Antioquia, Cauca, Casanare and Caldas and said six FARC members were killed, Colprensa reports.

* In an interview with RCN, Colombian Senator and paramilitary advisor Carlos Moreno de Caro reports that the paramilitary commanders negotiating in Ralito want a pardon for some other commanders now detained in jail. According to Caro ,* they want to fill up the vacancies at the negotiating table after some have been freed up, such as that of Miguel Arroyabe* , El Mundo reports.

* Five people are injured in Huila (Neiva) after a grenade explodes near an army patrol, police report.

Wed 12- Indigenous denounce another leader killed; Uribe paid ransom for Granda's kidnapping.

* The Colombian Organisation for Indigenous people (ONIC) reports the killing of Saul Marquez Tovar, an indigenous leader from the Uitoto communities in the Amazon area. According to reports he was last seen after taking money from the Putumayo Cabild. Days later he was found with signs of torture in the Brazilian settlement of Tabatinga. The ONIC condemns this new killing calling on the authorities to protect their leaders.

* An admission by a Colombian minister that bounty hunters were paid to snatch a rebel leader from Venezuela threatens to escalate into a row between the nations. Tensions have been high since Rodrigo Granda was captured in December, with Venezuela insisting he was illegally kidnapped in Caracas. For weeks, Colombian Defence Minister Jorge Alberto Uribe has denied the claims. But he has now admitted security forces did pay for the senior FARC rebel to be seized in Caracas. The Associated Press news agency quotes him as saying. * Reward money was paid in this case* . The BBC's correspondent Jeremy McDermott in Colombia says it appears that the authorities have, at the very least, been economical with the truth, noting that the affair has poisoned already strained relations between the two countries.

* Health authorities report that the city of Quibdo (Choco) has been without water for the last 60 days. A strike by the public workers company, demanding their salaries for the last 12 months, has aggravated the situation, as only 30% of the population in the city benefits from these services. The Choco department is one of the most under-developed areas in Colombia and locals are constantly demanding more investment from the central government, El Tiempo reports.

Thurs 13 -20 soldiers killed in helicopter crash; ELN group wants to participate in 2006 elections.

* Twenty Colombian soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash in the south-west of the country. Their Black Hawk helicopter came down near the border with Ecuador, army chief Gen Reinaldo Castellanos said in a statement. They were working with the US-backed drug eradication and counterinsurgency programme, Plan Colombia. The general said the helicopter had crashed after encountering bad weather, with all on board killed. * The Black Hawk, part of Plan Colombia, supported military operations against drug traffickers and leaders of rebel groups in the southern part of the country,* Gen Castellanos said. BBC reports.

* Colombia's second biggest Marxist rebel group wants to participate in elections for the first time in its 40-year history by backing a presidential candidate in 2006, according to a report posted on the internet. The 5,000-strong National Liberation Army (ELN) wants to join a left-wing coalition in next year's May elections to contest President Alvaro Uribe's bid for a second term, ELN spokesman Milton Hernandez told left-wing website rebelion.org. Hernandez did not explain how his group would become involved in the election, and a leading left-wing politician said they would need to disarm to be taken seriously. An analyst said the move suggested the ELN may be edging toward accepting democracy and ending its armed revolution. Mexico has agreed with the Colombian government to offer itself as a mediator in any peace talks with the ELN. But the rebels have said it would be hard to negotiate with Uribe, a staunch ally of Washington. * If the ELN disarms, its political participation would be absolutely valid and necessary for the country,* said leftist Bogota Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzon, who was mentioned by the ELN as a possible coalition candidate. * If it remains armed, obviously this proposal is not valid* , AP reports.

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