[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 109 (Thursday, July 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H4473]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   ONGOING PEACE PROCESS IN COLOMBIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Byrne) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud and encourage the 
ongoing peace process in Colombia.
  Over the last 52 years, Colombia has witnessed an armed conflict 
between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, 
or FARC. The conflict has taken a serious toll on the country: 220,000 
people have been killed and more than 6.8 million people have been 
forced from their homes. The fighting has been especially difficult for 
the rural areas of the country.
  But a new day is on the horizon for the people of Colombia. The 
country is on the verge of a historic peace agreement with the FARC. In 
fact, the government and the FARC signed a cease-fire agreement on June 
23. This was seen as one of the few remaining roadblocks to a final 
peace agreement.
  With all that is going on in the world today, it would be easy to 
miss the important progress taking place in Colombia. The peace process 
isn't garnering the media attention that some other foreign affairs 
are, but it is going to have just as important an impact on global 
affairs.
  Last year, I had the opportunity to travel to Colombia with the 
Committee on Armed Services and my colleague from Arizona, Mr. Gallego, 
whose mother is from Colombia. It didn't take long for me to realize 
that Colombia is a beautiful and fascinating country, and I was very 
impressed with the hospitality of the Colombian people. It also became 
clear during my trip that the majority of Colombian people want things 
to be better in their country, and they are committed to the peace 
process.
  Mr. Speaker, Colombia is our closest and strongest ally in Latin 
America, so the peace process is very important not only to Colombia, 
but also to the United States. Their future opportunities are also 
ours.
  Colombia has a growing economy with immense potential based on their 
abundant natural resources and a culture that values hard work. A more 
stable Colombia will allow the country to further expand their economy, 
which would be a benefit to us right here at home.
  At a time when there are so many foreign policy challenges around the 
globe, Colombia is a rare success story. The country was literally on 
the verge of becoming a failed state, but now they are a leader in the 
region. The United States maintains significant bilateral relations and 
has provided important diplomatic assistance to the Colombian 
Government, but we have done so without becoming overly involved in 
their local affairs.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I want to emphasize my strong support for the 
Colombian peace process, and I call on every Member of this House to 
also lend their support to that process. We need to encourage our 
neighbors in South America. I want to commend President Santos for his 
leadership and his commitment to a lasting peace.
  I also want to highlight the important work of Ambassador Pinzon. I 
appreciate his friendship, and I applaud his work to strengthen the 
partnership between the United States and Colombia.
  Ultimately, only the people of Colombia can reach the lasting peace 
agreement that restores justice and order to their country, but the 
United States can--and I believe we must--stand ready to assist the 
Colombian Government as they finalize this process and then as they 
move their country out of conflict and into a period of stability and 
lasting peace.

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