WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE ON THE AMERICAS
ISSUE #486, MAY 23, 1999
NICARAGUA SOLIDARITY NETWORK OF GREATER NEW YORK 339
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*11. COLOMBIAN SENATOR ABDUCTED BY PARAMILITARIES
On May 21, a group of at least 15 armed assailants abducted
Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba de Castro from a clinic in the
wealthy El Poblado neighborhood of Medellin, saying they wanted
her to "send a peace message" to President Andres Pastrana,
according to the senator's bodyguards. Cordoba, a lawyer and
respected Liberal Party senator, sits on the Senate Human Rights
Committee and the Congressional Peace Commission, and has played
a prominent role in efforts for a negotiated solution to Colombia's
internal armed conflict. In recent months she has maintained
frequent interviews with leaders of the country's leftist rebel groups.
On May 20, the day before she was abducted, she went to Bolivar
department to meet with nearly 500 campesinos protesting
paramilitary attacks in the municipality of San Pablo.
At the time of the abduction, Cordoba's attackers did not identify
themselves as being with a particular group. However, on May 22 the
rightwing paramilitary United Self-Defense Force of Colombia (AUC)
took responsibility for the abduction. AUC leader Carlos Castano read
a statement on the Caracol radio network in which he admitted that
his group was holding Cordoba, and demanded that his organization
be included in the peace process under way between the government
and leftist rebels. [La Republica (Peru) 5/22/99 & 5/23/99 from
AFP; Clarin 5/22/99]
The communique, which was directed to the National Peace
Commission, criticizes "Liberal Party political leaders, led by Senator
Piedad Cordoba, who have put themselves at the service of guerrilla
diplomacy," and complains about the Peace Commission's concessions
to FARC demands for a government crackdown against paramilitary
groups. [Text of Communique, from El Colombiano (Medellin)
5/23/99]
*12. COLOMBIAN GENERAL ORDERED ARRESTED FOR PARAMILITARY
LINKS
The Colombian attorney general's office announced on May 21 that it
has ordered the arrest of Gen. Jaime Humberto Uscategui,
commander of the army's second division, headquartered in the city
of Bucaramanga, for his alleged links to rightwing paramilitary
groups. The arrest warrant was issued late on May 20. Uscategui told
journalists that he will comply with the attorney general's decision,
"but I don't share it because I'm completely innocent." His arrest was
not expected to take place until the government issued a statement
formally ousting him from the ranks of the armed forces, judicial
sources said. Uscategui has been under investigation since April [see
Update #480].
The attorney general's office has charged Uscategui with failing to
avoid the massacre of 40 civilians in a July 1997 paramilitary attack
in Mapiripan, Meta department. A witness has testified that
Uscategui was informed of the paramilitaries' presence and their
plans, but did nothing to stop the massacre. At the time of the
massacre, Uscategui was commander of the army's fourth division
and military chief of the zone where the massacre took place. He is
believed to be the highest-ranking active duty officer to be ordered
arrested in a human rights case in Colombia. [Reuters 5/22/99; El
Nuevo Herald 5/22/99; AP 5/21/99]
*13. COLOMBIAN PEACE ZONE EXTENDED
Colombian peace commissioner Victor Ricardo announced on May 20
that the controversial demilitarized zone in southern Colombia where
negotiations are taking place with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC) will serve as the venue for formal peace talks and
will remain under the control of the FARC for as long as the
negotiating process is moving forward. Government troops were
pulled out of the more than 16,000 square mile (42,000 sq km) area
last November as a pre-condition for the peace talks. The zone's
special status had been extended twice, most recently on May 7 for
30 days [see Update #484]. "This demilitarized zone for negotiations
will be established without any time limits and without deadlines, in
the same area where the [preliminary] dialogues have taken place,"
said Ricardo, speaking at a Bogota forum on the peace process
sponsored by the daily El Espectador. Ricardo said international
monitors chosen by the government and the FARC would be invited
to oversee activity in the zone, which has about 90,000 civilian
residents. He offered no details on government or law enforcement in
the area.
In a statement issued late on May 20, US president Bill Clinton
expressed strong support for Colombia's peace process and praised
Pastrana for "his strong personal commitment to peace and for his
tremendous courage in pursuing it." [Reuters 5/21/99, 5/22/99]
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