Friday, August 27, 2010

Regional response to the FARC

Both Brazil and Ecuador have echoed Colombia's rejection of the FARC's request to use Unasur as a forum for discussing the Colombian conflict.  The argument was that it is not Unasur's place to do so unless requested by the Colombian government.  They also indicated agreement with the government's demands that the FARC lay down arms, etc. before there are any talks.

I maintain that this is a regional problem that needs a regional response, but the fact that other countries affected by the FARC are standing with Colombia is a positive sign.  With luck it could become part of regional coordination to end the conflict.

The media doesn't mention it too often, but despite all the public tension, the governments of Colombia and Ecuador have been working together closely in fighting the FARC since Colombia bombed Ecuador.  Even the State Department's recent Country Reports on Terrorism made extensive note of Ecuador's efforts.

1 comments:

Justin Delacour 1:09 AM  

The argument was that it is not Unasur's place to do so unless requested by the Colombian government.

Well, sure, that's standard practice for any inter-governmental organization. It's the same standard that the United Nations uses in determining whether peacekeepers can be sent in to a country. All parties to the conflict have to agree to any such intervention before it can take place.

That doesn't necessarily mean, however, that Brazil isn't interested in a peace settlement. It has made suggestions in the past that it is. Lula's government has never been particularly comfortable with the fact that the U.S. government can use the Colombian conflict as a pretext to step up its military presence in the region.

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