Moreno Villa-Cuartas letter of April 17, 1997

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF GOVERNMENT
MEDELLÍN, ANTIOQUIA
April 17, 1997

Madam
GLORIA ISABEL CUARTAS MONTOYA
Mayor
Apartadó, Antioquia

Re: Your message of April 10, 1997, directed to the Governor of Antioquia

Distinguished Madam :

In relation to the mentioned message, allow me to demonstrate to you the following :

You fall into the same errors committed by distinguished directors of well-known asociations in defense of human rights, which is to say :"They believe themselves to be professors of a subject with which they are not familiar and afterwards they ask for explanations".

Apart from this, your protagonistic eagerness leads you to spread your message to different sectors of society, to whom you send your incomplete and deformed view of the situation.

How much better it would be if before issuing your verdict you had taken the trouble to consult, analyze, engage in dialogue, and, once you had formed your conception, based upon a rational analysis of events, you had expressed your opinion upon the matter. Perhaps in this way your collaboration to achieve peace would be more effective.

For your information I attach the following :

1. A pamphlet illustrative of the Convivir Associations.
2. A letter of last March 20 sent to Mr. Vivanco of Human Rights Watch, in which you will find detailed information about all of the topics which trouble you.

The Commander of the Seventeenth Brigade, General Rito Alejo del Rio, will be able to provide you with details about their actions and other doubts which assail you on this topic.

Sincerely,

PEDRO JUAN MORENO VILLA
Secretary of Government

Attached : the mentioned documents
Copy : Dr. Alvaro Uribe Velez
Governor of Antioquia

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Medellin, Colombia, South America