BOGOTA, Jan. 26, 01 (CWNews.com) - Bishop Nel Beltran of
Sincelejo, has strongly demanded the government of
Colombian President Andres Pastrana recover the
"demilitarized zone" placed under the administration of a
Marxist rebel group since 1999 as part of a peace deal.
Bishop Beltran said the so-called "demilitarized zone"
controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) "was created as a means to secure lively and steady
peace negotiations." He added, "Instead, Colombians have
not gotten any peace and FARC have obtained a dangerous
strategic advantage."
Parts of Bishop Beltran's diocese are located in the
territory of 42,000 square kilometers (about 46,000 square
miles) placed under the complete administration of FARC
forces.
"All means to achieve piece by dialogue must be tried, but
if FARC does not shows a clear will to start a peace
process, the government must recover that area," the bishop
said.
Bishop Beltran held a press conference in Bogota where he
attended a security council investigating the mass murder
of peasants in Montes de Maria, another area of his
diocese. The crime has been attributed to right-wing
paramilitary groups.
"The main victims of these confrontations are innocent
civilians who are caught between the fire," Bishop Beltran
said. "Therefore, if no fruit (on the peace talks) is
achieved, the state must recover control of the
demilitarized area."
"Otherwise, it would be sending a dangerous signal of
weakness," he concluded.