A day before its final debate in the Senate, President Juan Manuel Santos emphasized the Victims Law as fundamental for achieving peace and healing the wounds of over 45 years of internal warfare, Caracol Radio reported Monday.
“To repay the victims and restore the land to the people that were displaced by violence is to forget the hate and the bad and unite us as a society to harvest and achieve a better future,” said Santos Monday at the National Joint Action Meeting in Bogota.
Santos also called his proposed Victims Law one of the flagship projects of his administration, aimed to advance the objective of creating a better future for Colombia.
The Victims Law proposed by the head of state in 2010, aims to help over 4 million Colombians displaced by violence by providing health care, education assistance and debt relief, as well as land restitution, financial compensation and investment aid.
The most recent controversy surrounding the law is Santos’ use of the term “armed conflict” in its wording. Former President Alvaro Uribe was outraged after spending his time in office convincing the international community that Colombia is facing a “terrorist threat.” Uribe fears that by describing the Colombian situation as an “armed conflict,” it legitimizes the terrorist guerrillas.
Santos made no reference to this terminological debate with his predecessor but did tweet that, “For President Alvaro Uribe, I only have feelings of gratitude, admiration and respect.
The Victims Law will undergo its final debate in the Senate on Tuesday.
