Instability In The Region, Colombia's War Of Position Continues In Place
Militante | 12.04.2002 09:32
Rebels target Colombia's political and economical
elites. "FARC can't hang around in ambushes anymore, waiting for the enemy to pass by", says rebel spokesman in an exclusive interview with ANNCOL.
elites. "FARC can't hang around in ambushes anymore, waiting for the enemy to pass by", says rebel spokesman in an exclusive interview with ANNCOL.
GUERRILLAS GO ON THE OFFENSIVE
10.04.2002 (ANNCOL Mexico) FARC spokesperson Marco León Calarcá stated in an exclusive interview with ANNCOL that the military operations against the guerrillas by Colombian government forces have so far been a failure. The military operations began on February 20 in the former demilitarized zone, where peace talks had been held since 1999.
Marco León Calarcá is a senior rebel commander and has been the insurgent organization's envoy to Mexico. He says that the rebel army will continue targeting Colombia's political and economic elites, whom the guerrillas hold responsible for the war and the breakdown of the peace process.
ANNCOL: What have been the consequences of the Pastrana governments' decision to break off the dialogue with FARC and launch military operations against the former peace talk zone?
CALARCÁ: FARC has not suffered any serious consequences. Fortunately, the bombardments up to now have not been effective against our troops. What hurts is that the bombardments have destroyed the infrastructure and the roads and the bridges that we built together with the
local population. One of the reasons that peasants are forced to cultivate coca leaves is precisely the lack of road infrastructure. Adequate roads would enable peasants to send other products to the markets. The construction of this infrastructure is part of our program. It is part of our contribution to the solution of the problems of the illicit crops. The roads and bridges that the government had promised to build deep into the countryside for 30 years, we built with the community.
The serious thing about President Pastrana's decision to break off the dialogue is that, at least for now, the possibility for peace has ended. I say "at least for now" because we maintain our commitment to peace and to our peace proposals. There was a war going on in the country. But in one small part of the country we were working on finding other solutions to that war. Pastrana ended that. Now we have war everywhere in the country.
ANNCOL: How is the situation now in the former peace talk zone?
CALARCÁ: We call on the international community to guarantee the lives of the people of the demilitarized zone. The military is dressing up as paramilitaries. They have killed many people saying that the guerrillas did it. We had already denounced this before the peace process broke down. We condemned the fact that around the zone the army often dressed up in paramilitary uniforms and harassed people. At the same time, we urged the people of the community to organize themselves so they can better protect themselves. And the guerrillas are still there in the zone. In fact, we have been there for 30 years.
ANNCOL: It seems that FARC is increasingly targeting Colombia's economic infrastructure. Why is that?
CALARCÁ: The war in Colombia is about transforming society. First of all, the FARC-EP originated from the need for self-defense. In the second place, we aim to take power for and with the people. We use armed struggle because we have been left with no other option. But we believe that it doesn't necessarily have to be like that.
What we tried through the dialogue with the government was to stop the war. The dialogue was not to solve the contradiction between the ruling class and the class that is being ruled. This problem can't be solved through dialogue.
The war has its own development. The way we operate and the damage that we can inflict on our enemy is not the same today as it was twenty years ago. FARC can't hang around in ambushes anymore, waiting for the enemy to pass by. Since the 80's we have changed our way of operating, now we are on the offensive. If we can't stop the war by resolving its political and social causes, then the war is going to continue. The war has been imposed on us by them, by Colombia';s political and economical elites and by the Empire that is providing all the military help needed for this war. They can't tell us that they've got nothing to do with the war.
It is an old dream of theirs; to defeat the insurgency in order to dictate a peace they can accept. The Colombian elites and the Empire want a peace without opposition, where they can continue to steal the natural resources of
Colombia and exploit the labor of our people.
10.04.2002 (ANNCOL Mexico) FARC spokesperson Marco León Calarcá stated in an exclusive interview with ANNCOL that the military operations against the guerrillas by Colombian government forces have so far been a failure. The military operations began on February 20 in the former demilitarized zone, where peace talks had been held since 1999.
Marco León Calarcá is a senior rebel commander and has been the insurgent organization's envoy to Mexico. He says that the rebel army will continue targeting Colombia's political and economic elites, whom the guerrillas hold responsible for the war and the breakdown of the peace process.
ANNCOL: What have been the consequences of the Pastrana governments' decision to break off the dialogue with FARC and launch military operations against the former peace talk zone?
CALARCÁ: FARC has not suffered any serious consequences. Fortunately, the bombardments up to now have not been effective against our troops. What hurts is that the bombardments have destroyed the infrastructure and the roads and the bridges that we built together with the
local population. One of the reasons that peasants are forced to cultivate coca leaves is precisely the lack of road infrastructure. Adequate roads would enable peasants to send other products to the markets. The construction of this infrastructure is part of our program. It is part of our contribution to the solution of the problems of the illicit crops. The roads and bridges that the government had promised to build deep into the countryside for 30 years, we built with the community.
The serious thing about President Pastrana's decision to break off the dialogue is that, at least for now, the possibility for peace has ended. I say "at least for now" because we maintain our commitment to peace and to our peace proposals. There was a war going on in the country. But in one small part of the country we were working on finding other solutions to that war. Pastrana ended that. Now we have war everywhere in the country.
ANNCOL: How is the situation now in the former peace talk zone?
CALARCÁ: We call on the international community to guarantee the lives of the people of the demilitarized zone. The military is dressing up as paramilitaries. They have killed many people saying that the guerrillas did it. We had already denounced this before the peace process broke down. We condemned the fact that around the zone the army often dressed up in paramilitary uniforms and harassed people. At the same time, we urged the people of the community to organize themselves so they can better protect themselves. And the guerrillas are still there in the zone. In fact, we have been there for 30 years.
ANNCOL: It seems that FARC is increasingly targeting Colombia's economic infrastructure. Why is that?
CALARCÁ: The war in Colombia is about transforming society. First of all, the FARC-EP originated from the need for self-defense. In the second place, we aim to take power for and with the people. We use armed struggle because we have been left with no other option. But we believe that it doesn't necessarily have to be like that.
What we tried through the dialogue with the government was to stop the war. The dialogue was not to solve the contradiction between the ruling class and the class that is being ruled. This problem can't be solved through dialogue.
The war has its own development. The way we operate and the damage that we can inflict on our enemy is not the same today as it was twenty years ago. FARC can't hang around in ambushes anymore, waiting for the enemy to pass by. Since the 80's we have changed our way of operating, now we are on the offensive. If we can't stop the war by resolving its political and social causes, then the war is going to continue. The war has been imposed on us by them, by Colombia';s political and economical elites and by the Empire that is providing all the military help needed for this war. They can't tell us that they've got nothing to do with the war.
It is an old dream of theirs; to defeat the insurgency in order to dictate a peace they can accept. The Colombian elites and the Empire want a peace without opposition, where they can continue to steal the natural resources of
Colombia and exploit the labor of our people.
Militante
