Colombia seeks to restart the military aid from the UK, after the
European country suspended all aid to Colombia’s armed forces following
human rights abuse scandals involving the Colombian military.
Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez met with his British counterpart David Miliband and Simon McDonald, adviser of prime minister Gordon Brown to talk about bilateral issues Saturday, after which the two agreed to “work on a a united strategy to strengthen the fight against human rights violations.”
The UK suspended all military aid, after the Colombian army became the center of a scandal involving the murder of civilians to report them as guerrillas killed in combat. Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office says to investigate 1,200 murders in which members of the military are suspects.
Bermudez was positive about a future collaboration with the UK after meeting with Miliband. “We are completely revising the agenda: the issues of collaboration, the war against drug trafficking and terrorism, the issue of energy, the Americas summit, the association deal Colombia is preparing with the EU,” the Minister said in a press release, adding “we encountered a lot of interest.”
With McDonald, the Colombian Foreign Minister talked about a closer relation with the European island and “the help the UK can give to Colombia in this important fight against drug trafficking and terrorism and how to also improve the possibilities to invest in tourism.”
The British Foreign & Commonwealth OfficeSaturday made no announcements about the meeting.