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Columbian Civil Society Leaders Reach Out to Obama

by Latin America Working Group Program Assistant Travis Wheeler - 03/05/09 3:46 PM ET

Last October, the Latin America Working Group Education Fund, U.S. Office on Colombia, Washington Office on Latin America, and Center for International Policy released A Compass for Colombia Policy, which made detailed recommendations for the next administration and Congress on reorienting U.S. policy towards Colombia to focus on strengthening respect for human rights and ending impunity.

Now Colombian civil society leaders have weighed in with their own hopeful vision for a new direction in U.S. policy.

The 100 plus signatories ask President Obama to make supporting Colombia’s victims of violence a top priority in his administration, writing that “As you have stated, we believe that a person ‘living in fear of violence doesn’t care if they’re threatened by a right-wing paramilitary or a left-wing terrorist; they don’t care if they’re being threatened by a drug cartel or a corrupt police force.”

The civil society leaders also call on President Obama to rethink a failed drug policy, help create conditions for peace, support the Colombian judicial system, prioritize human rights, establish a just trading relationship, and to rebalance U.S. aid to Colombia by “increasing the percentage of social and humanitarian assistance versus military assistance” in his administration’s 2010 request.

The full letter can be viewed at lawg.org, but here are a few highlights:

“We believe that your message of hope and commitment to the values associated with civil and political liberties, and to the norms and institutions of government under the rule of law, is the true path to strengthen democracy and global security.”

“Given that the armed actors are able to take advantage of drug trafficking to grow and finance their activities, we are convinced that ending the internal armed conflict will bolster the effectiveness of counternarcotics efforts.”

“Enter into a mutually beneficial fair trade agreement, based on respect for human rights and sustainable development, ensuring not only the life and rights trade union leaders, but also equitable treatment for ethnic minorities, women, peasant farmers, and Colombian producers, to encourage just economic development…that does not exacerbate armed conflict.”

“Drug policy needs to acknowledge the principle of shared responsibility between producer and consumer countries in facing this scourge.”