Colombia Mobilizes on Feb 4
Massive March In Opposition to the FARC Planned
Against the backdrop of souring relations between Colombia and Venezuela over the release of two hostages, Colombia's citizens are to unite on February 4.
On February 4 citizens in 27 Colombian cities and in 93 cities worldwide will be uniting in solidarity and participating in a “Gran Marcha en Contra de las FARC”. Organisers of the event have asked that participants bring along white flags and t-shirts, Colombian flags, flowers and all sorts of banners to make this “Great March in Opposition to the FARC” the most memorable yet.
All of this comes on the back of interesting times here in Colombia as the President Alvaro Uribe Velez completes his mini European tour in Davos at the World Economic Forum having already addressed the European Union and the Governments of France, Spain and Switzerland. Here the Colombian President received assurances from Javier Solana that the leftist FARC guerrilla group will remain on their list of terrorist factions.
Javier Solana, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the EU said: “All ideas proposed by President Uribe will be supported by the EU,” and added that the FARC should, “free all hostages unconditionally.”
Back in South America, despite his very public success in negotiating the liberation of Clara Rojas (assistant to former Colombian Presidential Candidate and current hostage Ingrid Betancourt) and politician Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has reacted, typically, with a bee in his bonnet regarding the situation in Colombia and his treatment by the Colombian President who very publicly decided that Venezuela was to play no further part in the negotiations with the FARC.
In addition to his internationally viewed slap in the face, President Chavez’s pleas to the international community that the FARC should no longer be considered a terrorist group have fallen on deaf ears. Not one to hide his feelings, he has launched a tirade of vehement abuse at the Colombian President.
In the midst of this very public spat between neighbours – one that President Uribe has yet to address or acknowledge – where does this leave the 700 plus still in captivity? The unfortunate answer is – still in captivity.
And where do things head from here as the Colombian Government requests the participation of several European Governments and the Catholic Church in the negotiations and reports from Brazil claim that the FARC are in the midst of an internal power struggle while their leader Manuel Marulanda, “Tirofijo”, has terminal cancer?
One thing is for certain, organizers of the “Gran Marcha en Contra de las FARC” on Monday February 4th know that there will be a huge turnout. They already claim to have 177,000 people listed in their facebook group! For more information on the march and about the organizers see www.colombiasoyyo.org
The march in Bogota will move down Carrera 7 to the Plaza de Bolivar and take place between 12 and 2.
