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Political Declaration From the Meeting of the Group Supporting the Peace Process in Colombia, Madrid, Spain, July 7, 2000
Released by the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs |
The 26 countries and 7 International Organizations participating in the meeting of the Support Group to establish the essential building blocks for the peace process in Colombia held in Madrid today congratulate the Spanish Government and the Inter-American Development Bank for arranging the meeting and ensuring its successful outcome. The participants pledge their political support for the peace process initiated by the Government of Colombia, which reflects the strong will of the Colombian people to live in a framework of democracy, peace and respect for fundamental rights, as well as their total opposition to acts of violence. They also express their resolve to back the social, economic, political and environmental initiatives launched by the government that will lay the foundations for a stable, lasting peace and the end of the cultivation of illicit crops in Colombia, taking into account the aspirations and needs of local communities. They agree that the meeting has made it possible to take advantage of the window of opportunity that now exists to mobilize support from the international community for the Colombian Government in its search for peace. It is their profound hope that the involvement of the international community will accelerate efforts by all parties in Colombia to reach a peace agreement. The Madrid meeting produced a broad ranging agreement to support the following key elements of the programs and initiatives set forth in the Colombian Government's Institutional Strengthening and Social Development Strategy:
--Respect for and deepening of democracy The participating countries urge a cessation of all acts of violence, including massacres, extortion, kidnappings, and the elimination of paramilitary activities. Minors and children should receive special attention and protection. Similarly, they repeat the appeal to all parties to reach, as a matter of high priority, an accord on human rights and international humanitarian law in accordance with the consensus reached at the last Commission of Human Rights of the United Nations. The participants in the meeting to support Colombia's search for peace concluded that, in order to facilitate the international community's participation and make it more effective, a support and monitoring committee should be established, comprised of a group of countries and international organizations including the Inter-American Development Bank. This group should facilitate the execution of programs to end cultivation of illicit crops and promote alternative development, especially through local participation, strengthen the rule of law and democratic institutions, promote the respect for recognized human rights standards and advance effective development strategies leading to reconciliation and peace. Therefore, the participants agree, as an important next step, to continue to evaluate the projects prepared by the Government of Colombia and seek additional resources from the donor community at a meeting in Bogota in September. The participants agree to hold further meetings to coordinate future support for Colombia. [end of document]
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