The protest against Uribe in the European Parliament has gone off successfully today. White "Peace in Colombia" scarves distributed by the Belgian NGO co-ordination were worn by around one-third of MEPs, who walked out of Parliament's Chamber as Uribe was called to speak. Put together with those who chose not to attend, there were only about one-quarter of MEPs left to hear his speech. Uribe was clearly rattled by this demonstration, as he told the subsequent press conference: "there are more journalists here than there were in the other place". The speech itself was a robust defence of his government's policy, without qualification or much sensitivity to European criticism.

In the afternoon a press conference and hearing were held to enable MEPs, the media and the wider public to get access to alternative arguments about Colombia. Speaking were Gloria Ramirez from the CUT (Trade Union Federation), Reinaldo Villalba from the Colombian human rights organisation affiliated to FIDH, Gloria Cuarta ex-Mayor of Apartado, and Gustavo Petro member of the Colombian Congress.

The President then attended the Foreign Affairs Committee where he was cross-questioned for ninety minutes. I spoke on behalf of the Socialists and challenged Uribe on impunity for paramilitaries, failure to respect the London Agreement and his vilification against trade unions and NGOs. Other Members joined the criticism, although British Conservative Charles Tannock MEP said "I fully support and salute you courageous approach in upholding Colombian democracy...I totally support your non-exchange of kidnap victims." In relation to negotiations with the paramilitaries, Uribe refused to answer why he was undertaking negotiations, and offering impunity, without a ceasefire. He defended his criticisms of human rights NGOs by saying, "I am entitled to express my reservations and disagreements". He further chose to pick out the Colombian Lawyers' Collective for specific criticism: "They're just a facade - I know they're the ones who defend the guerrillas". Later he added to the criticism by saying "The El Salvador guerrillas only started negotiating when they stopped receiving funding from the NGOs." On the London Agreement, Uribe once again claimed that Colombia had "room for democratic discussion" to vary its compliance with UN's recommendations, and he introduced Foreign Minister Carolina Barco who said that they would not comply with "handing over guerrillas to the courts" or the publication of military intelligence reports. (Note: I checked with the FCO again and it is the clear British Government position that Colombia have to comply with all the conditions - this is a significant campaigning opportunity for us). In response to other questions, Uribe downplayed the prospect for a humanitarian exchange of prisoners, and said allegations about petroleum companies funding paramilitaries were "offensive" and "insulting".

Media wise, I took part in a debate on the "Today Programme" and saw Isabel Hilton's excellent piece in the Guardian

["A president who wants a licence to kill" Tuesday February 10, 2004  http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1144712,00.html.]

Thank you for all your advice and support, and please forward this email to anyone who might be interested. The attachments are President Uribe's speech (in Spanish), my own news release and the text of my question to Uribe.

In solidarity,

Richard


Office of Richard Howitt, MEP
Parliamentary Assistant: David Nichols
Stagiaire: Laura Cook

European Parliament
ASP 13 G 246
Rue Wiertz
B-1047 Brussels
Belgium

Tel: + 32 2 2847477
Fax: + 32 2 2849477
 rhowitt@europarl.eu.int



RICHARD HOWITT MEP

LABOUR EUROPEAN SPOKESPERSON FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND HUMAN RIGHTS


News release for immediate use 10 February 2004

COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT - EU MUST STAND AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE

The European Union should make future aid to Colombia conditional on full compliance by the country with United Nations human rights recommendations, and its President should unconditionally withdraw false accusations against British and other non-governmental organisations - the Colombian President will be told during his highly controversial visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg today (Tuesday 10 February).

The charge is to be put to the President Alvaro Uribe by Labour's European Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Richard Howitt MEP, who has just returned from a week-long tour of some of Colombia's most dangerous regions, with first-hand evidence of the five political assassinations and disappearances per day which afflict the world's most violent country.


Speaking in advance of cross-questioning President Uribe at the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Richard Howitt MEP said:


"The Colombian Government has deliberately flouted United Nations human rights recommendations which it signed up to with international donors in London last year, for example by transferring swingeing judicial powers to the Colombian army which together with its paramilitary allies are responsible for more than three-quarters of all the atrocities.


"If Europe is serious about that agreement, it must have the conviction to delay any further donor's conference, and ensure any new monies are made conditional on full and unqualified compliance with the U.N. recommendations.


"We must also call on the President to reverse the closure of its separate aid department, thereby seeking to divert European aid monies - meant for humanitarian and social aims - in to the U.S.-backed 'Plan Colombia' military programme.


"Meanwhile the President should withdraw his statement that non-governmental organisations act as "the terrorists' spokesmen" which represents part of an attempt to destroy independent social and trade union organisations in the country, and which puts field workers from renowned agencies like Oxfam, Save the Children and Christian Aid at direct personal risk."


ENDS.


1. Richard Howitt MEP will put these points directly to President Uribe at a meeting of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in Room WIC 100, European Parliament, Strasbourg, France at 5.30pm.


2. The U.N.'s Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) has produced a list of 27 recommendations for the compliance of human rights in Colombia, which independent human rights organisations meeting with international donors on 30 November 2003 analysed had failed to be met in all cases, and seven of which the Colombian Government had directly broken.


3. The figure for assassinations and disappearances disputing the Government's claim to have improved security is based on 1454 instances January-September 2003 confirmed by the Colombian Commission of Jurists and the Law Faculty of the University of Bogota. It is unchanged from the same period the previous year.


4. The requirement on the Colombian Government to meet the U.N. recommendations in full was made at a donor's conference convened by the British Government, leading to the "London Declaration" signed on 10 July 2003. The last donor's conference saw £250million EU aid pledged and although there is no new date set for the next donor's conference, it is known that President Uribe is pressing the European Union this week to agree one for August or September this year.


5. The transfer of judicial powers to the Colombian military including powers to undertake electronic surveillance and to interrogate suspects without the presence of a lawyer, are part of the Anti-Terrorist Statute passed by the Colombian Congress in December 2003.


6. The Colombian Government has announced it is merging the Colombian Cooperation Agency ACCI with its budget for "Plan Colombia" to make a single High Commission for Social Action.


7. On September 8 2003, President Uribe made a speech to the Colombian military in which he called human rights groups "spokesmen for terrorism" and "politickers of terrorism", challenging them to "take off their masks...and drop this cowardice of hiding their ideas behind human rights." The Colombian Commission of Jurists petitioned the President to withdraw his remarks, to which the official reply that he would not was given in Bogota three weeks ago.

Lowdown on Human Rights abuse in Colombia by paramilitaries and Uribe's administration:

* Colombia has the worst human rights in the Western hemisphere, with over 300,000 displaced people and 7,000 political homicides each year

* the official armed forces and state sponsored paramilitaries are responsible for at least 80% of human rights violations

* Plan Colombia is a vehicle for US military intervention in Latin America that is failing in its declared objective of ending coca cultivation, while the fumigations are causing widespread suffering to peasants and damaging the environment

* Uribe is personally committed to increased repression rather than seeking a negotiated solution to the armed conflict. His latest law the "Antiterrorism Statute" provides the army with unfettered powers over the civilian population and has been widely condemned by human rights organisations

* any diplomatic or financial support from the EU for Uribe will strengthen his hand.