Presidential adviser on stabilization and consolidation, Emilio Archila, answered the questions asked by Rodrigo Londoño, political leader of the political party of the Comunes, in a letter to US Congressmen.
“We stick to the facts,” Archila replied, although she regretted that these questions ignored aspects such as support for the victims. the replacement of illegal crops and progress towards comprehensive rural development.
“Any calls to the international community to know the details and continue to align with Peace with Legality are welcome. We are interested in continuing this relationship, which is not a government relationship, but a state relationship between Colombia and the United States. All the support programs of the North American government are aligned with Peace with Legality and in the mouth of the ambassador nearly a billion dollars has been invested during this period, ”said counsel.
(Read: Timochenko goes to US Congress to declare peace breached)
In the letter to the US Congress, Londoño indicates that three basic aspects of the agreement are not being adhered to: the killings of ex-combatants and the lack of guarantees of their safety; the “ongoing attacks by the ruling party on the transitional justice system and the lack of economic opportunities in rural areas.
In this regard, Archila said that in terms of security and protection for ex-fighters, the goal is to get to zero attacks. “In 2020 the number of homicides has decreased by 10 percent and so far in 2021 there is a clear downward trend (…) we have 52 special security measures; 298 individual and collective protection schemes ”.
(You may be interested: ‘Let Them Make the Victims Worthy’: The Roux on the Timochenko-Mancuso Meeting)
With regard to the actions of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, JEP,
Archila said that “we have respected the autonomy and independence of transitional justice. We have said it and proved it. Despite the covid affecting other government budgets, we have maintained the budgets of the JEP, the Truth Commission and the Missing Persons Search Unit ”.
(Read: JEP: Relocation, a fact that’s up the most since the deal was signed)
And with regard to the areas affected by the violence, the Presidential Counsel assured that the development programs with a territorial approach, PDET, have not stopped and are making solid progress. And he added that in the 170 PDET municipalities, 5.1 trillion pesos are being mobilized from a variety of sources such as working for taxes, royalties and budget racer. It is a collaborative work with communities, the private sector, government resources, local authorities and the international community ”.
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