The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -People’s Army, FARC-EP, and the National Liberation Army of Colombia, ELN, inform the Colombian and Latin American people that:
We, the leadership of both organizations, met recently in the mountains of Colombia in an atmosphere of camaraderie, fraternity and mutual respect, fully agreeing in:
a. .Characterizing the current regime of Uribe Velez as the enemy of peace, a warmonger by conviction, the generator of misery for the broad national majorities, and a prostitute of imperialist policy for our peoples and nations.
b. Because of this character, we confirm that while the illegitimate government of Alvaro Uribe Velez persists with its fascist and militarist policies, we will not proceed with any process of political rapprochement and national dialogue.
c. Nevertheless, we reiterate our commitment to peace and the pursuit of political solutions to the social and armed conflict that is bleeding our Colombia, and for this aim we will persist in:
– Pushing forward all the political processes that favour peace with social justice and the pursuit of political alternatives in opposition to Plan Colombia and the FTAA;
– Confirming the policy of an exchange of the prisoners of war and political detainees being held by the sides;
– Supporting the struggles of the Colombian people against the disastrous privatizations, the repression of all just social protest, the cutting of pension rights, the fiscal adjustment programme, and in defence of the public wealth and national sovereignty.
d. We call upon the Colombian people and international public opinion to mobilize and denounce the anti-democratic policies of the current government that aims to cut the few civil, citizen, democratic and political freedoms, through application of the anti-terrorist statute, the policy of “Democratic Security”, and the embroiling of the civilian population in the war.
e. We reject the Referendum called by the regime for the coming days in order to use it to strengthen state terrorism, militarist authoritarianism and the surrender of our national sovereignty. In the face of the present social and political crisis we Colombians are suffering, we reaffirm that all the democratic, patriotic, revolutionary and guerrilla forces are compelled to work for the formation and construction of a new democratic and patriotic government to once and for all face the process of national reconstruction and unity within a framework of defence of our sovereignty and of the dignity of the national majorities.
Committed as we are to make of Colombia a nation that is just for all; we of the FARC-EP and the ELN will persist with renewed strength and revolutionary enthusiasm on the roads blazed during our 39 years of existence, holding high the banners of unity, patriotism and anti-imperialism.
“AGAINST IMPERIALISM, FOR THE NATION;
AGAINST THE OLIGARCHY, FOR THE PEOPLE … UNTIL FINAL VICTORY;
COLOMBIA FOR THE WORKERS; NOT ONE STEP BACK … LIBERATION OR DEATH”
For the FARC-EP, The Secretariat of the General Staff
For the ELN, Central Command,
Mountains of Colombia, July 13, 2003
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