U.S.-Colombia
Relations
Testimony
of
Charles
S. Shapiro
Acting
Assistant Secretary of State
Bureau
of Western Hemisphere Affairs
U.S. Department of State
before
the
House
Foreign Affairs Committee
Subcommittee
on the Western Hemisphere
U.S. House of
Representatives
April
24, 2007, 2:00 PM
Rayburn House Office
Building, Room
2172
Introduction
Mr.
Chairman, Mr. Burton, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, thank you
for the opportunity to come before you today to discuss our policy and plans
for assistance to Colombia. Strong bipartisan support in the Congress and
this Subcommittee has been a constant in our efforts since the beginning of
Plan Colombia and is one of
the reasons why we believe Colombia
has achieved remarkable results.
As
President Bush said on March 5 just before his trip to Colombia and four other countries in Latin
America, “It is in the interest of the United States of America to help
the people in democracies in our neighborhood succeed. When our neighbors are prosperous and
peaceful, it means better opportunities and more security for our own
people. When there are jobs in our
neighborhood, people are able to find work at home and not have to migrate to
our country. When millions are free from
poverty, societies are stronger and more hopeful.” These are clearly goals that the people of Colombia, with
our support, are making progress toward and are committed to achieving.
It is
important that we recognize how much things have improved in Colombia over
the past seven years. The Government of
Colombia has taken concrete actions to respond to the challenge posed by
illegal armed groups and narcotics cartels.
As a result, the lives of ordinary people have improved
dramatically. Improvements in security
have allowed the economy to prosper. Poverty
and violence have decreased, the rapid growth in coca cultivation of the 1990’s
has been reversed, a massive demobilization of nearly all paramilitary groups
has been completed and paramilitary prosecutions and victims reparations
programs are underway. Further, the government
has clearly stated that human rights abuses are not tolerated and that there is
no shelter and no impunity.
At the
same time, we recognize that there is still much to be done. The violence has resulted in the displacement
of millions of Colombian citizens. Economic
difficulties and lack of employment opportunity plague rural parts of the
country; and we continue to be concerned by all allegations of human rights
abuses.
We need
to continue working with the Government of Colombia to help them expand
security, social services and economic opportunity and to ensure the benefits
accrue to all Colombians – whether in the countryside or the cities, and
especially among the Afro-Colombians, indigenous and displaced. The key will be to create a strong economy,
put additional pressure on the groups fighting over drug profits, and end
impunity for those that commit, or are complicit in, human rights abuses.
Colombians
have bravely taken up these challenges.
We need to help them finish the task, both by continuing to support our
programs and by approving the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement that will both
provide the people of Colombia
with economic opportunity to further reduce poverty and enhance trade and
export opportunities for the United
States.
Although
Colombia will assume
additional responsibility for new and ongoing programs over time, they will
require continued U.S.
and international assistance in critical areas. Our approach will change to support Colombia’s new
programs or to apply lessons learned to continuing programs.
We urge
early Congressional approval of the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement, which
has major benefits for both countries.
It will help Colombia
further reduce poverty and provide legitimate economic opportunities to all of Colombia’s citizens, as well as enhance trade
and export opportunities for United
States workers, farmers and companies.
Successes in Colombia
Before looking to the future, let me
summarize the remarkable gains that Colombia,
with U.S.
and other international support, has made.
In 2000, a bipartisan consensus in the Congress determined that the United States should support Plan Colombia. The most significant areas of success include:
·
Reversing the high rate of growth in the late
1990’s of coca and opium poppy cultivation and increasing rates of interdiction. Every hectare of coca and opium poppy that is
not grown or that is interdicted means less money flowing to the perpetrators
of violence and atrocities in Colombia.
·
Reducing violence. The security situation has improved
significantly from a time when Colombia
had among the highest crime numbers in the world, with kidnappings down by 76
percent, terror attacks by 61 percent, and homicides by 40 percent since 2000.
·
Improving the economy. The improved security has contributed to Colombia’s
economic recovery. Economic growth has
averaged close to five percent over the past four years and reached 6.8 percent
in 2006. Thousands of additional families
are now working in the formal, legal economy.
·
Reducing poverty. Poverty rates in Colombia
fell dramatically to 45.1 percent in June 2006 from nearly 60 percent when Plan
Colombia
began. In urban areas, the poverty rate
decreased to 39.1 percent, while in rural areas it fell to 62.1 percent. The rate of extreme poverty has
fallen to 12 percent nationwide. Extreme poverty in urban areas fell from 16.7 to 8.7
percent, and in rural areas from 35.7 to 21.5 percent. While these numbers
are still too high, especially for Colombia’s indigenous,
Afro-Colombian and displaced populations, all of whom are disproportionately
affected, they represent a steady improvement that the Government of Colombia’s
new Strategy seeks to continue. One program,
called Families in Action, provides a nutritional subsidy to families with
children up to age six if parents ensure medical checkups and vaccinations, and
an education subsidy to older children on the condition the children attend
school. Approximately 520,000 families,
including 110,000 displaced families, now benefit from this program, and the
Government of Colombia seeks to triple that number in the next year.
·
Reducing impunity: Colombia’s
justice sector reform program, with significant U.S. support, is having a profound
effect. The changeover from the former
written system to an oral, accusatory one has brought the average case duration
down from three years to between 25 and 163 days. For crimes such as theft, personal injury,
arms trafficking and homicide, there have been reductions in processing time of
93 percent, 84 percent, 92 percent, and 90 percent, respectively.
·
Taking militants off the battlefield. Although prosecutions and reparations have
just begun, there is real progress, with over 31,000 paramilitary members demobilized. Current negotiations with the National
Liberation Army have the potential of leading in the same direction.
This is a critical and perhaps unique moment for Colombia. The Colombian people’s confidence is
high. For the first time in over a
generation, Colombians can envisage the possibility of real peace. Colombia is poised to make this a
reality through its new plan for the next seven years.
Colombia’s New Strategy
In January 2007, Colombia announced its “Strategy to
Strengthen Democracy and Promote Social Development.” Mr. Chairman, with your permission, I would
like to submit a copy of this plan to the Subcommittee and ask that it be made
a part of the hearing record. It is also
available to the public at http://www.dnp.gov.co/novedades_detalle.aspx?idn=113.
Colombia’s
strategy places increased emphasis on consolidating state presence by expanding
government programs in remote rural areas, especially those emerging from
conflict. Assistance to vulnerable
groups, such as Afro-Colombians on Colombia’s Pacific coast,
indigenous people, and displaced persons, are among its priorities. The strategy stresses the importance of
economic development through sustainable growth and trade. To ensure the secure environment necessary
for carrying out these programs, the Strategy continues the fight against
terrorist groups and narcotics producers and traffickers.
U.S. Support is Crucial
Continued
U.S. support is crucial to
fulfilling the key Colombian objectives of improving national security and
stopping the drug trafficking which fuels the country’s violence, expanding
effective state presence throughout the country and providing alternative
development opportunities, addressing the needs of displaced persons and other
disadvantaged groups, improving the protection of human rights, combating
impunity, strengthening the economy and reducing poverty, and assuring the
demobilization and dismantlement of illegal armed groups.
We want to
improve the lives of ordinary Colombians while reducing the impact of
narco-terrorism on the United
States and the region. We seek to strengthen the rule of law and
respect for human rights by supporting judicial reform, the national
prosecutor’s office, and civil society. We
also seek to promote sustainable
economic growth and the expansion of licit economic opportunities.
My colleague,
Ambassador Patterson, will address more ably than I questions involving our
counternarcotics programs, so I will briefly describe other aspects of our
efforts. A more detailed discussion of
our strategy for the U.S. assistance program through 2013 will be included in a
report that the Department of State will submitted to the Congress shortly. Once again, with your permission, Mr.
Chairman, I would like to submit a copy of this report to the Subcommittee with
a request that it be made part of the hearing record.
State
Presence and Social Services
Now that Colombian authorities have established a
presence in all 1,099 municipalities (equivalent to U.S. counties) throughout the
country, it is essential that we improve local capabilities to provide social
services in rural areas and small towns to build public confidence in local
government. U.S. Government assistance
will focus on those newly-secured areas in transition from conflict to peace. We will support programs to enhance security
and the effective state delivery of health and education services and to build
the capacity of local government and citizen groups. U.S. support for health clinics,
schools, road improvements, and other quick, high impact initiatives at the
local level will assist the Government of Colombia in its effort to consolidate
state presence.
In areas where corruption has been traditionally
accepted as inherent, U.S.
programs will encourage citizen oversight to increase transparency and
accountability and reduce corruption.
U.S.
humanitarian efforts will allow for shelter, healthcare, education, job
training, and social services which are critical to the successful
reintegration of Colombia’s
internally displaced persons.
Trade,
Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction
Sustained economic growth is essential to Colombia’s
efforts to provide economic opportunities as alternatives to the narcotics
industry, meet poverty reduction goals, and reduce its need for international
assistance.
And the single most important step we can take to
keep Colombia
on the path of strong economic growth is to approve and implement the
U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (our free trade agreement or FTA). It will contribute to creating jobs, reducing
poverty and to incorporating all Colombians into the formal economy. We view it as part of an integrated economic
strategy, with the ultimate goal of a fully self-sufficient Colombia that
derives full benefits from the opportunities of the global economy.
Moreover, our pending bilateral free trade agreement
is part of a regional strategy that encompasses pending free trade agreements
with Peru , and Panama and complements existing agreements with Chile, Central America and the Dominican Republic, Mexico
and Canada. Completing these agreements would solidify
open markets and strengthen democracy along the Pacific coast of the Americas.
As part of an integrated economic strategy, the Colombia
agreement would build on what we have achieved with the unilateral trade
preferences of ATPA and foster the creation of stable, better-paying jobs and
legitimate opportunities in the formal sector, while U.S. assistance would
complement Colombia’s open market policies and economic reforms by helping to
broaden their benefits throughout society on a sustainable basis. Our assistance programs will focus on those
entering the work force – marginalized or vulnerable groups, former low-level
growers of illicit drug crops, and former low-level members of demobilized
terrorist organizations who fulfill their obligations under Colombia’s
demobilization program.
At the same time, a free trade agreement with Colombia will significantly increase
opportunities for U.S.
trade, exports and jobs.
U.S. trade
capacity building activities will continue to focus on policy and institution
strengthening reforms to help Colombia access more global markets and to maximize
sustainable income and employment generation, including in rural communities
for which agricultural trade opportunities are key. We will assist the Government of Colombia in
analyzing remaining impediments to small and medium-size enterprises’ creation
and growth. If
approved, the FTA will provide market incentives for these enterprises to
flourish.
Colombia is a strategic energy partner with coal and
petroleum production contributing to global energy supply. U.S. engagement will continue to focus
on promoting energy sector reforms that encourage increased investment, greater
private sector participation, and a more efficient, market-based approach to
energy production and use. We are also
looking at how the United States
could assist Colombia
to broaden the delivery of financial services and facilitate transportation and
improved communication.
Justice
and Human Rights
Ensuring access to effective justice,
ending impunity, and protecting the human rights of all Colombian citizens are key components
of working toward lasting peace and security.
Overall, the Government of Colombia has made progress in these areas
over the last decade, especially under the Uribe administration. However, much more remains to be done,
particularly to end impunity in cases of human rights abuses. Continued progress on human rights remains a
top priority in our policy dialogues
with Government of Colombia leaders.
U.S. assistance will support Colombian efforts to
prevent human rights abuses, promote respect for human rights, and respond
quickly and adequately to abuses. We
will help
strengthen Colombia’s
already marked progress in these areas and encourage the government to continue
focusing on human rights and justice reform.
The Government of Colombia provides approximately $26
million annually to protection programs for 10,000 persons identified as at
risk. The Ministry of Interior
and Justice, with support from USAID, administers a $20.9 million program that
provides protection to more than 6,000 of these individuals, including $8.4
million for over 1,200 trade unionists.
Since the inception of the Ministry of Interior and Justice’s protection
program in 1999, homicides of trade unionists have declined significantly. According to the Ministry of Social Protection,
105 trade unionists were killed in 2000, and this number fell to 25 in
2006. The National
Union School,
a non-governmental organization focused on workers rights in Colombia,
reports a similar decline from 77 in 2000 to 38 in 2006. Still, we believe strongly that even the
murder of one individual is one too many.
U.S.
assistance will help the Government of Colombia continue its programs to
provide protection to trade unionists and other vulnerable groups. It will also increase the government’s
capacity to aggressively prosecute violence against trade unionists
and help the government continue to make progress in addressing child labor
issues.
Our assistance will help the Government of Colombia
improve protection for the rights of the individual, while also helping civil
society to play an effective role in monitoring, counseling, and advising on
human rights issues. The United States
will build up the capacity of civil society to conduct oversight; promote
public policy, dialogue and accountability; and play a bigger role in Government of Colombia efforts to
improve the protection and promotion of human rights, with special attention to
labor rights.
The United States
will continue to support activities that promote victims’ rights to truth,
justice, and reparations. U.S. assistance
will also support the Early Warning System for Human Rights Abuses, which
alerts Government of Colombia institutions to threatening situations that could
lead to human rights abuses. Special attention will be focused on support
to communities at risk. To guarantee
sustainability, the Government of Colombia will gradually take over payment of
salaries and other operational costs for national government human rights
programs.
Human rights-oriented
reforms within the Ministry of Defense will be supported through our
assistance, including the assignment of independent inspectors with
responsibility for human rights, among other matters, in each division of the
Army and the expansion of this initiative to the brigade level. It will fund a broad range of courses,
including human rights training, and will support the Ministry of Defense’s
efforts to reform the military’s educational system to include a greater focus
on protection of human rights.
U.S.
assistance will support the Government of Colombia’s protection programs for
human rights defenders, trade unionists, and community and social leaders. Our support will also increase the ability of
the Communities at Risk Program to protect communities at high risk of violence,
including Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities.
We will
help strengthen institutions, including the Office of the Vice President, the
Inspector General’s Office, the Prosecutor’s Office, and the Ombudsman’s Office,
so they are able to provide prompt response to human rights abuses and
strengthen independent oversight of human rights institutions and
policies. Working with the Prosecutor
General’s Office, we will help train
prosecutors, public defenders, police, forensic technicians, and judges. We will continue to develop specialized task
force units in the areas of human rights violations, money laundering and asset
forfeiture, terrorist financing, narcotics and maritime enforcement,
corruption, prison security and judicial/dignitary and witness protection,
post-blast analysis, counterfeiting crimes, and increasing forensic analytic
capacity. U.S. assistance will help Colombia
improve the effectiveness of the military justice system, ensure that human
rights cases remain under the civilian justice system, and facilitate
investigation and prosecution of crimes allegedly involving military
personnel.
Another priority is completion of the implementation
of the new accusatory system and help to strengthen justice sector
institutions. Under
the old written system, criminal cases often took years to resolve. Now, with the implementation of the new
Criminal Procedure Code and transition to an oral accusatory system, these
cases are reaching verdict in months. In addition, we plan to expand the
successful Justice House program to rural areas by the end of 2008. Justice Houses provide a wider range of
community services than indicated by their name, including increased access to
social and other basic government programs, as well as to legal services and
alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
U.S.
support will establish ten additional Justice Houses in previously marginalized
or conflictive areas of the country.
Counter-Terrorism,
Demobilization, and Reintegration
The
Government of Colombia’s military efforts against the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) have weakened
the terrorist groups, but they have not been defeated. Our support for equipment, training, and
intelligence programs remain crucial to Colombian counter-terrorism
efforts. One sign of the Government of
Colombia’s success is the more than 9,400 ELN and FARC members that have left
their units and turned themselves in to Colombian authorities since 2002.
The U.S.
continues to work closely with the Government of Colombia to effect the safe
recovery of hostages held by the FARC, including three American citizens.
The
United Self-Defense Force (AUC) paramilitary groups agreed to a ceasefire and a
negotiated demobilization. The last AUC
group demobilized in August 2006, bringing the total demobilized collectively to
over 31,000. One small group did not
demobilize and some individual paramilitaries have joined other criminal
organization. Nevertheless, as a result,
violence in areas where paramilitary groups demobilized has generally been
reduced. However, this is only the start
of an extended and difficult process.
The
conclusion of Organization of American States Secretary General Insulza’s
February report on its mission in Colombia is worth quoting. He said, “Even though the disarmament and
demobilization of the AUC and its attempt to reintegrate into civilian society
have faced difficulties, such steps, taken one at a time, constitute new scenarios
for peace for Colombia.”
In marked contrast to other peace processes
worldwide, the Government of Colombia has not been willing to provide a total
amnesty for demobilized paramilitary members.
Instead it is prosecuting all former paramilitary members accused of
serious crimes under the Justice and Peace Law.
If convicted, they will serve sentences of six to eight years.
In our judgment, the Justice and Peace Law, as
modified by the Colombian Constitutional
Court decision and the implementing decrees,
provides an adequate legal mechanism for prosecution of paramilitary
leaders. We cannot expect all the
paramilitary cases dating back over a decade to be resolved in a short
time. The legal process is certain to be
an extended one, but it is moving in the right direction and the number of
cases generated is significant. U.S. assistance
is helping to strengthen the ability of the Prosecutor General’s Office to
investigate, interview, and prosecute demobilized paramilitary members.
In this process, we must not forget the victims. Many of the victims have bravely come forward
to share information with authorities.
Their reports have enabled the Government of Colombia to discover mass
graves and begin to identify bodies.
U.S. assistance will strengthen the abilities of victims
and victims groups to effectively pursue and advocate for their right to truth,
justice, and reparations, all of which are crucial for reconciliation. We will support the National Reparations and
Reconciliation Commission to accelerate the distribution of assets to victims
and disclosure of criminal and terrorist activity.
Rank and file paramilitary members not accused of
serious crimes need help in transitioning to
normal, peaceful lives. In some parts of
Colombia,
such as Medellín where I visited last week, reintegration programs have had
impressive success. In other parts of
the country, however, implementation has not proceeded as quickly as we would
have hoped. The Government of Colombia’s
new Reintegration Commissioner is now working hard to ensure these programs are
better monitored and more effectively implemented throughout Colombia.
U.S. assistance will support the Reintegration
Commissioner's work with communities where the demobilized have returned to
implement the new national strategy of reintegration. Private sector involvement, like that of General
Motors Colombia and Microsoft, is important to the success of these
programs. The United States will also continue
supporting Colombian and Organization of American States oversight and monitoring
of the demobilization and reintegration of ex-militants.
Before
leaving this subject, it is important to note that in some of the areas where
paramilitary groups demobilized, a small proportion of demobilized paramilitary
members (estimated at less than ten percent) have joined with other delinquents
to form new criminal groups. The
Government of Colombia recognizes the seriousness of this problem and has
established new units to combat the new groups.
We have heard allegations that, despite the determination of Government
of Colombia to combat these new criminal groups, military units in certain
areas may turn a blind eye to their activities.
We will continue to monitor closely the activities of new groups, the
government’s efforts to arrest them, and any allegations of military
cooperation with the groups.
Lastly,
the allegations that have surfaced in the media in the last few months about
government connections to paramilitary groups show both the progress Colombia has
made in rooting out such people and the challenges that lie ahead. It was the Uribe administration’s policies
that led to the discovery of these links and resulted in the arrest of
prominent government figures. President
Uribe made it clear that he will not tolerate complicity with paramilitary
groups and has called for a full investigation into all allegations of
involvement by Government of Colombia officials with paramilitary
organizations. President Uribe has also
called for all military personnel with paramilitary connections to turn
themselves in. Defense Minister Santos
has echoed this call and is actively cooperating with civilian judicial
authorities to advance their investigations.
These
actions display the strong will of the Government of Colombia to investigate
and prosecute all allegations of wrong-doing.
We fully support the transparent and forthright process the government
has initiated to confront this situation.
We are confident that all allegations will be investigated to the
fullest extent of the law and culpable parties will be held responsible for
their actions. The Government of
Colombia needs our support and that of the international community to complete
this difficult process. Our assistance
will help the government take action against officials uncovered in this
investigation.
Colombian and International Funding
Colombia’s
spending for Plan Colombia
during 2000-2005 has exceeded that of the United States. Colombia
spent nearly $7 billion on Plan Colombia
programs, while the United
States provided approximately $4 billion in assistance. Colombia’s funding in 2006 for
the military and police of $4.48 billion represented an over 30 percent real
increase since 2001 and accounted for 11.6 percent of the overall national
budget. Its’ funding for social
programs, not including pensions, was nearly three times higher than defense
spending at $12.7 billion.
Colombia
is planning to fund an even higher proportion of the costs of programs under
its new Strategy than it did with Plan Colombia. Colombia plans to spend $43.8
billion during 2007-2013. Our notional
plan for U.S.
assistance during that period could total approximately $3.9 billion. Our request for FY 2008 is $590 million.
Mobilizing
resources is important. Economic growth
has allowed increases in the government budget and the Government of Colombia
enacted a “wealth tax” in December 2006 that will raise an estimated $3.7
billion over the next four years, with funding being used to increase its ability
to carry out President Uribe’s democratic security goals.
Colombia’s strategy
anticipates a gradual reduction of those resources coming from the United States
and others in the international community.
This will be possible as the Government of Colombia progressively
develops the necessary capabilities and economic capacity to manage and fund
critical programs currently receiving international support.
We have worked
hard to encourage increased international support to Colombia and the Andean region and
believe that we are having increasing success.
Programs funded by other donor countries in Colombia are primarily focused on
alternative development, human rights, humanitarian assistance, and good
governance. As such, they are a welcome
addition to our programs and reflect all donors’ shared goals. The Government of Colombia’s “Shared
Responsibility” campaign, spearheaded by Vice President Santos in late 2006, is
aimed at increasing European support for Colombia’s counter-narcotics and
other programs. During her mid-April
2007 visit to Colombia, EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner announced plans
to grant Colombia over 160 million Euros (approximately $217 million) in
program assistance for 2007 to 2013. In
addition, Norway, Spain, Japan,
the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada,
Korea, Mexico, Brazil,
and Chile, among others, provide
bilateral assistance and/or support the Organization of American States mission
in Colombia.
Some in Congress have questioned why our programs do not
mirror the Colombian spending breakdown, with the largest part of the funding
going to support social programs. Rather
than change the proportion of U.S. support for FY 2008, we are requesting about
the same mix of counternarcotics/counter-terrorism and economic/social/human
rights assistance as in previous years, while the Government of Colombia is
greatly expanding its own spending on such economic and social programs.
Our programs provide greater support in those areas where we
have a unique capability and which contribute to Colombia developing its own
capacity to assume them. Government of Colombia officials have clearly told us that
continued U.S. support to
counternarcotics and counter-terrorism programs remains critical and that our
proposed mix of U.S.
assistance reflects their needs. However,
in spending those funds, we plan to put
more focus on building Government of Colombia capacity so it can assume
responsibility for programs that were begun with U.S. support. Over the next few years, we plan to increase
the proportion of U.S.
assistance that goes to social, economic, and human rights programs as
counternarcotics and counterterrorism programs decline.
Regional Context
A short word on the broader regional context
of U.S. support for Colombia’s new Strategy, which contributes to our
overarching objectives in Latin America. The United
States also plans to continue counternarcotics assistance
to Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru
to ensure no increase or spillover in illegal cultivation of coca and efforts to
control the transit zone and trafficking connections with Mexico. The United
States will also support Colombian efforts to engage its
neighbors to increase border security, confront transnational threats, and to
promote greater regional security cooperation with Caribbean
and Central American countries. Colombia’s success with Plan Colombia, and
now the new Strategy, will also enable it to work with other countries in the
hemisphere to support democratic institutions and economic integration.
Conclusion
This is a
historic moment for Colombia,
a time of great challenges but even greater opportunity to help the country
assure its path to peace and prosperity.
We strongly believe that continued U.S.
government support, will help secure this better future for the people of Colombia, and in turn for the people of the United States. I would be pleased to take your questions.