| Page 2 of 2 < |
Law Seen As Soft on Militias in Colombia
Paramilitary fighters from the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia laid down their arms in a demobilization ceremony this month in Cristales, northwest of Bogota. Under a new program, they are to reenter legitimate society.
(By Luis Benavides -- Associated Press)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Colombian officials say the law's faults have been simplified and overblown, but they concede that some compromise was necessary to make progress in a conflict that has proved intractable. The new law, they say, opens the door to talks with the top commanders who have driven the conflict.
"There are people who want me, immediately, to put the leaders of the paramilitary groups in jail, put them in handcuffs and show them to the world," Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo said in a speech in Bogota this month. "I tell them, honestly, that if I were forced to do that, this peace process could go no further."
The Colombian government has not made a specific request for funding assistance to the United States for the demobilization plan, but members of the Senate appropriations committee said Washington expects to pay a significant portion of the program, estimated to cost between $80 million and $200 million.
Several U.S. senators corresponded with Uribe's government as the law was being drafted, urging officials to ensure that extradition opportunities be preserved and that paramilitary participants be required to divulge the financial and organizational structures of their groups.
"It's very disappointing. The senators' concerns have been largely ignored," said Tim Rieser, foreign policy aide to Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.). "President Uribe is popular, and one would have thought that they would write the law so it would achieve its goals."
Since the peace process began two years ago, more than 8,000 paramilitary members have demobilized. At a ceremony in Bogota Friday, 24 former paramilitary and guerrilla members received diplomas for completing training programs designed to prepare them for unarmed security jobs.
But critics said that because the law does not provide for the seizure of assets, the paramilitary groups will be able to recruit replacements with the promise of cash.
The government said the law could eventually apply to leftist guerrilla organizations -- including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC -- if they also decide to disarm collectively. But the law's concessions have prompted some to worry that these groups could gain the upper hand in future negotiations.
"The guerrillas must be very pleased to see how lenient this law is," said former president Gaviria. "They can ask for more."
