Colombia President Alvaro Uribe vehemently reiterated Saturday his
government’s view that “hate politics” obscure the representation in
the U.S. of how union workers are treated in the country, according to
local media.
According to the El Espectador newspaper’s website, Uribe said his political enemies “are taken in by the ‘social-coolness’ of the bourgeois left, drinking whiskey and cocktails — but there are protected.”
Allegations of violence against trade unions in Colombia has stalled
negotiations for a free trade compact with the country among U.S.
politicians, and Uribe in his presidency has been pushing to complete
the deal.
U.S. Congress regarding the murders of trade unionists, and called for
more “impartial” information to be presented, untainted by “hate
politics.”
Regarding
murders of workers, journalists and teachers, Uribe did not deny that
such acts of violence happened, but compared what has happened
in Colombia to violence in other countries.
For example, Uribe acknowledged the killings of 15 reporters in the
past, but in 2008 there were none.
union members in 2008, but added that efforts have been made for protection, and since then there have been no more deaths.
make a more permanent force, but, where did we come from? The
world must know that before, more people were killed here,” he said.
Uribe added that last year his government invested $40
million to protect those targeted. Among the 10,000 people assisted, none were killed. Uribe also said that 144
murderers of workers are now in prison, and that the Government will go after persecutors of unions.
Uribe said the detractors are opponents living abroad, or have lived abroad, who he referred to as the
“bourgeois left,” and who “want to hurt
the government.”
Uribe said no free trade agreement with Colombia would not be an
injury to his government, but to all of the country, because there are people around the
world are waiting to invest for “the good of the country” he said.