Radio Mundo Real

“We are calling for the creation of a Network of Members of Parliament for Peace in Colombia and invite all Representatives committed to Peace in our continent and the world to join this network”, states the Montevideo declaration of the Parliamentary Forum for Peace in Colombia, that was held last June 5 in Jose Artigas Building, an annex of the Uruguayan Legislative Building, in the context of the 2nd Forum for Peace in Colombia that took place in the Uruguayan capital city.

The document also urges the Colombian government led by Jose Manuel Santos to incorporate the insurgence of the National Liberation Army to the dialogue tables. It also calls for the bilateral cease of hostilities. The declaration was read y the President of the House of Representatives of Uruguay (made up by 99 members), Alejandro Sanchez, of the Frente Amplio party.

Armed Conflict, Social Conflict

As part of the interventions from Colombia that were part of this Parliamentary Forum attended by legislators from Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, the Basque Country and Venezuela, former Senator of the Polo Democratico Alternativo party, Gloria Ines Ramirez, explained the roots of the armed conflict in her country as the cause of a deep social conflict.

The backstory is a dispute for natural resources and it is the result of an “economy of enclave” deepened by the Free Trade Agreement with the US.

The twice Colombian Senator and member of different labor commissions that deal with the negotiations around the armed conflict, said that peace is not possible without social justice and without structural changes in the country. “The dialogue table (in Havana) can only be concluded if an agreement is signed”, she added.