Colombian President Álvaro Uribe warned Colombians not to be mislead by
the FARC’s “intellectual bloc”. “We will not let them distract us. The
guerrilla, while kidnapping and setting car bombs, want to wear the
mantle of peace,” he said Saturday.
The President, speaking at the Villavicencio security council, said the “Intellectual Block of the FARC” was trying to confuse the people and demotivate the country’s troops.
“The intellectual bloc of the FARC is always talking about human rights, only to intimidate our soldiers and police,” he said.
“We can’t allow that they, with their nice little story of peace and
permanent accusations against the armed forces, paralyze our policy of Democratic Security and the strategy against drugs and terrorism,”
Uribe said.
Members ‘Colombians for Peace’, a group of Colombian intellectuals that are in contact with the FARC to seek a political solution to the country’s violent conflict, feel personally attacked by the President’s comment.
“I don’t belong to any bloc,” said Olga Amparo Sánchez, one of the members of the group that brokered the release of six hostages last week.
Carlos Lozano, member of the group and director of communist weekly Voz says the President’s words were “imprudent and irresponsible” and puts the life of members of the group at risk. He demands the President clarifies who he considers to be a part of this “intellectual block” of the guerrillas.