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OAS SECRETARY GENERAL WELCOMES DECISION
TO PARDON 23 COLOMBIAN INSURGENTS

  December 2, 2004

The Acting Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luigi R. Einaudi, today welcomed the decision by the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to pardon 23 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Ambassador Einaudi said he hoped the release would lead to the reincorporation of those FARC members into Colombian democratic life and advance the search for lasting solutions to the conflict.

“The OAS believes that this is a positive step and hopes that it could come to involve the release of all those kidnapped by the various groups that have illegally taken up arms in the country,” he said.

"If this kind of approach continues in good faith, chances for peace in Colombia would be greatly advanced," Einaudi added.

The OAS has been monitoring the demobilization process underway in Colombia through its Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia, established earlier this year.

Reference: E-222/04