A1. That the Pre-Agreement signed on January 14, 2000, be fully implemented, as a guarantee for being able to continue the conversations with the government. This pre-agreement makes reference to the minimum conditions of survival and the emergency humanitarian assistance for the persons at the ICRC offices.
2. That the Church, in the person of Monsignor Alberto Giraldo, come to the negotiating table, so as to resume the dialogue that was unilaterally cut off by the government on January 18, 2000.
3. To discuss, as the key issues, the solutions for (1) housing and (2) productive projects.@
The displaced went on to state: AWe reaffirm our will to withdraw peacefully from the ICRC offices so long as the government carries out its obligations in the framework of the negotiations proposed and with the signature of a Final Act of Reciprocal Commitments.
Finally, we raise our voice of protest and profound concern in the face of the imminent threat of forced eviction by the official forces planned for the coming days, and we ask that you send this communication to the international community so that, in solidarity, you may join our just struggle and so that together we can avoid a tragic outcome.
Of the 1,370 persons who occupied the ICRC offices in December, 350 of us remain, many of us children and women heads of household who have no resources, housing, or support whatsoever.
We invite you to come to the offices of the ICRC and to verify, first-hand, our situation, and then provide support and spread the word as you deem appropriate.@
This article is excerpted and translated from documentation provided by the Coordinación Colombia Europa Estados Unidos, based in Bogotá.
