ANNCOL is pleased to provide our readers with an English translation of two recent communiqués from the FARC-EP guerrilla organisation.



In the first communiqué the rebels set the conditions for an exchange of prisoners of war.



In the second statement the FARC’s Southern Block responds to allegetions from military intelligence sources that the guerrillas are planning the abduction of Roman Catholic Bishop Francisco Munera.

COMMUNIQUE:



The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, People’s Army (FARC-EP) inform the relatives and friends of the prisoners of war held by the Government and by the FARC, of the following:

1. We value positively the various initiatives made with government representatives by the relatives and friends of the prisoners of war held by the two sides.

Their efforts contribute to achieving a prisoner exchange to free the commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the Armed Forces and Police and, likewise, the members of Congress, deputies, the governor, ex-ministers and the ex-presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, held by the FARC. In exchange for them we demand the liberation of all the guerrillas held by the Colombian State.

2. On the government side it is claimed that contacts already exist with the FARC-EP, for pursuit of accords leading to liberation of the prisoners. That affirmation is reckless and false. Meetings for this purpose shall take place in Colombia, the place where our spokespersons authorized to do so, are located.



3. The government of Sr. Pastrana unilaterally cancelled the demilitarized zone where the meetings between the Government and the FARC-EP took place. The present government persists with the same policy of doors closed to the dialogues. This state decision blocks any talks between the spokespersons of the Government and those of the FARC-EP, for achieving the important objective of pursuing accords on prisoner exchange.



4. We are certain the International Community would have also made a significant contribution, as it did during the dialogues process for peace with social justice, held between the Pastrana government and the FARC-EP. But unfortunately, once that government cancelled the talks with the FARC-EP, the International Community did not maintain neutrality and instead lined up in favour of the former, thus likewise excluding itself from using its good offices in favour of a prisoner exchange. Besides, by including the FARC-EP on its lists of terrorists, the conditions favourable to sending guerrilla spokespersons abroad do not exist for the moment, as long as that policy position is maintained.



5. Nevertheless, in the face of the previously mentioned difficulties created by the total lack of political will on the part of the Government to respond to the clamour of the relatives and friends of the prisoners, the FARC-EP again reaffirm their proposal on prisoner exchange contained in the communiqué of last August 2 signed by the Central General Staff of the FARC-EP.



Central General Staff of the FARC-EP

Mountains of Colombia, October 21, 2002

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COMUNIQUE:



The General Staff of the Southern Block informs the public:



That the report broadcast as an extra by RCN and Caracol (TV) concerning the supposed interception by the military command of a conversation between Fabian Ramirez, commandant of the 14th Front, and Oscar Paisa, commandant of the Teofilo Forero Column, in which they were coordinating the abduction on the San Vicente-Florencia road, of Monsignor Francisco Munera, bishop of San Vicente del Caguan, is a crude setup of Military Intelligence.

This is the very entity that created Mrs. Elvia Cortes’ necklace bomb. In this case they just want to:



1. Intimidate Monsignor Munera in the name of the FARC and oblige him to leave, in order that he be replaced by another representative of the Catholic Church who would support, keep quiet and deny the coming massacres the paramilitary army of president Uribe Velez has planned against the defenseless citizens of San Vicente.



2. Perhaps it is logical a man with the good qualities of Monsignor Munera, among which stand out his elevated social sensibility, vocation of service, dedication to the community and his concrete and honest practice of the gospel, would be an insurmountable obstacle for the realization of the criminal projects of the official army.



3. We ask the people of San Vicente to organize volunteer security in order to protect and defend the physical well being of its spiritual Apostle and thus prevent his physical elimination by State terrorism.



General Staff of the Southern Block

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army FARC-EP

Mountains of Colombia, October 21, 2002