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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Colombian Church Proposes Security Zone Without Demilitarization |
| 2004-09-19 |
| via AngolaPress-Luanda The Catholic church of Colombia proposed on Friday the establishment of a security zone "without demilitarization and for an indefinite time" to the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The cardinal and head of the Colombian Catholic Church, Pedro Rubiano Sanz, said that he disagreed with the establishment of a demilitarization zone as proposed by the FARC, saying that demilitarization is not necessary. Rubiano added that humanitarian actions can be taken in some areas, quoting the case of Cartagena del Chaira, where a security zone was set up without demilitarization and the FARC handed over some 70 Colombian soldiers whom it kidnapped in 1998. A humanitarian agreement between the FARC and the Colombian government might allow the release of 22 politicians, 37 soldiers and three US citizens who have been kept as hostage by the rebel organization in exchange for an undetermined number of guerrillas. The FARC is the country`s most powerful guerrilla group with up to 20,000 combatants. The government has rejected repeated demands from the FARC to free its jailed members in return for the hostages it held. Colombia has been plagued by a four-decade civil war, in which leftist rebels, far-right paramilitary and governmental troops fight one another, with an average 3,500 people killed every year. About 2,000 people, including 22 foreigners, were kidnapped in Colombia last year alone. |
| Posted by:Kentucky Beef |