Open Letter to President Uribe: Toward Peace for Colombia

( Translated by Thomas Kolar, a CSN volunteer translator)


Open Letter to President Uribe: Toward Peace for Colombia
[ 02/14/2008 ] [ Source: Collective for The March For Peace and Social Justice in Colombia ]
Bogota, February 6, 2008
 
Doctor
 
ALVARO URIBE VELEZ
 
President of the Republic of Colombia
For your attention
 
Cordial greetings,
 
Through this letter we wish to inform you that a full ensemble of Colombian victims of terror caused by poverty and exclusion want to achieve a great day of solidarity with the Colombian people.
 
We ask, most politely, that you take the necessary steps at the national and international level to make this march a great success.
 
We wish that the entire world express its solidarity with those victims of the so-called “paseos de la muerte”, that is to say, with those relatives of those that have died at the doors of Colombian hospitals since they were not attended to because they did not have prepaid medicine or medical insurance.
 
We want to march in solidarity with those victims of illiteracy that still persists in this country. For the right of many to be included in the National Education System. There are a million children between 5 and 17 years of age who are not included, according to Cecilia Maria Velez, Minister of National Education.
 
We will march against corruption and penetration of drug trafficking and paramilitarism into many Colombian state institutions such as: the Congress of the Republic, the Prosecutor General of the Nation, the army, the National Police, the DAS, the National Registry, the National Comptroller, some governors and mayors and some ambassadors and consulates of the country. This scourge of drug trafficking continues fixed, mister president, with those monsters from the past protected as senor Jorge Noguera.
 
We will march against those transnationals that finance squadrons of mercenaries to assassinate union leaders. Chiquita Brands, Nestle, Coca Cola, etc.
 
We call to march against hunger and poverty that still fester in our country and the world.
 
We will march against the Black Eagles and the emergent gangs of the new generation.
 
You have already marched against kidnapping and you presided over the march “against the FARC”, will you preside now over this march against WAR, for the Peace and for Social Justice and Equality.
 
We will march for Humanitarianism.
 
We will march in solidarity with the more than 3 million internally displaced persons in our country. For their safe return to their homes.
 
We have 3,500 kidnapped family members reported an editorial of the daily El Colombiano last February 4. There are also more than 5,000 of our relatives in political exile for dissenting against neoliberal messages that have been implemented in our country.
 
For all these reasons and many others that surely will be incorporated in this convocation, senor president, it is necessary to march now. Colombians have great problems and they should motivate us and mobilize us without distinction of class, religion, race, politics, etc.
 
For this we ask you:
 
1.   Preside yourself over this convocation and march. Fot the peace of Colombia, for Social Justice and Equality and for Humanitarianism.
You can march in Valledupar, in San Andres, in Monteria or in any other part of the nation.
2.   Organize and arrange an operations team as you did for the Feruary 4 march, in
Order to coordinate all necessary for this day of mobilization.
3.   Direct embassys and consulates of the country to promote the march.
4.   Alert the media, such as El Tiempo, El Colombiano, RCN, Caracol, etc, in order to spread news of the march.
5.   Issue a permit of 3 hours for all the public workers who want to march, such as you did the past February 4.
6.   Speak directly or indirectly with the embassy of the United States in this country, so that they transmit to their contacts in all the world, the message of the importance of supporting the march and for all those in the United States who want to participate that they be able to do so without problems. Additionally, in order that they put the Internet to work in support of this massive convocation and march as was done before the February 4 march. So that also CNN helps us with the convocation. So that the city officials of New York and other cities of the United States support the initiative.
7.   Speak with the king of Spain and with president Zapatero so that they understand that the march for justice is not a march in favor of terrorism. And as the march is against war, speak with the editorialists of El Pais so that they do not continue stirring up confrontation with Venezuela.
 
These are the requests that we make for this day of Colombians who want Peace, Social Justice, equality of opportunity, and all that the Constitution of the country promises, that it all be a success.
 
We know that you are very busy directing the democratic security but we need that you take some time to attend to these demands.
 
For our part we will give all our effort as always.
 
We will try to open an account in Facebook in order to publicize the convocation.
 
There being no other motive to this letter, we say good-bye, with the certainty that the social and armed conflict under which Colombians suffer will have a negotiated peaceful outcome that will bring Peace and Social Justice, so that Colombia will progress and be a cradle of Liberty and Equality.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jorge Tamayo
Collective for The March For Peace and Social Justice in Colombia
 






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