An open letter from FARC

Thursday, 13 October 2005

To

Former Presidents Alfonso Lopez and Ernesto Samper, Doctor Alvar Leyva, Monsignor Luis Augusto Castro.

The exchange of prisoners through a humanitarian agreement between the Colombian state and FARC-EP in order to end the captivity of prisoners of war from both sides was and remains the permanent objective of FARC but the current government is systematically refusing it.

Our wish to have a meeting between both sides to exchange prisoners has always been shown and proven by facts: since Alvaro Uribe started his term in office, we have nominated spokesmen expressly for this purpose and we have proposed the demilitarisation of the local areas of San Vicente del Calguan and Cartagena del Chairá, in the department of Caqueta; that has been refused by the government which argued that activities were ongoing under the Plan Colombia in these areas and that FARC were using this as a pretext to escape the pressure of military operations.

Faced with these lies, convinced of the need for the Exchange, we have proposed the pulling back of the security services from the municipalities of Pradera and Florida, in the department of Valle del Cauca for a period of 30 days, the only aim of which is to guarantee security for the process.

This is not a whim of FARC. It is just a protection to avoid a repeat of what happened in the past, for example the military attacks prior to contacts with the Belisario-Betancourt government in Dolores-Tolima, the aerial attacks of the FAC against the helicopter bringing back from Venezuela FARC-EP delegates who had just taken part in talks even though they were accompanied by official representatives of the Colombian and Venezuelan governments; or even the assassination by the army of spokesmen or representatives of the insurgent organisation during other processes, when heading towards meeting places or during the actual talks.

To avoid such events, which would in this present situation close for a long period of time all possibility of talks, it is vital a zone is provided, as we have demanded.

The period of 30 days would allow us, FARC-EP guerrillas to check the territory in the first 15 days. The talks about the exchange of prisoners would take place during the following 10 days. The last five days would enable delegates to leave the area. A zone, situated as it is, scarcely five minutes by helicopter from the Marco Fidel Suarez base and the headquarters of the Third Brigade and Third Division cannot be, realistically, one of those proposed by the National government.

For the exchange to succeed, the government needs to take this seriously and also a need for a spirit of cooperation with the opposing view; this avoids misleading actions such as the 'giving of freedom' or the offer of an amnesty for deserters and bandits who are then introduced in public as

guerrillas. 

Your fellow countrymen,

Secretariat,

Central Administration of FARC-EP

Mountains of Colombia.