[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[March 11, 2007]
[Pages 281-289]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
The President's News Conference With President Alvaro Uribe Velez of Colombia in Bogota
March 11, 2007
President Uribe. Mr. President of the United States of America,
George W. Bush; distinguished members of the delegation; friends from
the Government; distinguished journalists who have come from other
countries and from Colombia: I would like to welcome again in the
warmest fashion possible. I would like to welcome his delegation as
well.
During the working lunch we have just had, at the end, I was able to
read some beautiful paragraphs from Bolivar, the Liberator: one in the
Charter of Angostura, where he actually was talking about the creation
of the American Nation around--or on the basis of freedom, tolerance,
and of having a general law that would respond to common interest
through individual wills. The Liberator also mentioned a very nice
paragraph during the Constitution assembly in Bolivia on the legacy of
President George Washington.
I was saying that the relations between the Colombian people and the
American people are sound. We have mutual understanding on democratic
values since the birth of our two states. This visit is a reason for
being proud. We will trust even more on our relations and the Colombian
process, and we would like to thank you very warmly, President Bush.
You have come to Colombia at a time of unrest because of the peace
process that is taking place. You have come at a time of revelations
that really have motivated a public debate. But they are taking place
because of one reason, and that reason is that our policy on democratic
security has tried to defeat terrorism in the guerrillas, in the
paramilitaries, because our democratic security policy wants to
reestablish democratic institutions fully in Colombia. And these
revelations are taking place because our law on justice and peace
requires
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and demands truth, truth so that the country will know the dimension of
the tragedy we have gone through, truth to prepare us for a future free
of the guerrillas, the paramilitaries, and the drug traffickers.
The law on justice and peace that is being enforced has been
discussed in Congress throughout its approval process, and it has been
discussed during its implementation, and has three elements that makes
it different from former legislation in Colombia and in the world.
Number one, justice. There will be no amnesty for crimes against
humanity. This law requires reparations to take place, and there is no
other single country in the world other than Colombia that might say
that in order to have shorter sentences within a law of peace, the
perpetrators are required to hand in their assets, so as to repair the
victims. And that has never happened anywhere else in the world.
There are two countries in Latin America that tried to compensate
for the problems of the victims under dictatorships but with money
coming from the budget. Here we will strive to give them all the assets
that the perpetrators have. It is truth, justice, and reparations, and
these are the three key elements of our legislation.
This country has an independent justice system, Mr. President, which
makes our democracy different. The decision of my administration in this
process of institutional recovery is total support for justice so that
Colombia may finally overcome the time of terrorism.
I would like to go back in history. For 30 years, the Marxist
guerrillas actually hit Colombia, and they proposed a social revolution,
and they produced even more poverty. They proposed more democracy, and
they were assassinating and murdering the mayors and the council
members, and they were actually killing democracy.
These guerrillas ended up being financed by drug traffickers. And
there are many people in many regions of Colombia that were not
protected by the state, and now they feel protected, thanks to our
security policy. The growth of the guerrillas and the lack of a state
protection for citizens resulted in these guerrillas producing the
paramilitarism, and these paramilitary phenomenon started committing the
same crimes, atrocious crimes, as the guerrillas. The Marxist guerrillas
brought to Colombia the validity of combining all sorts of struggle.
They infiltrated universities, the labor movement, and the peasant
movement. They infiltrated very important sectors of intellectual
movements and journalists. And they infiltrated politics.
The same guerrillas planted a hatred amongst the classes. They
wanted to eliminate the foundation of solidarity on which this nation
was built. The guerrillas taught the paramilitaries to combine all sorts
of struggle. And what happened then? Some of these guerrillas actually
signed an amnesty, but they were not required to tell the truth, which
is something we are requiring now. So they didn't say which were the
sectors of the civil society that had been infiltrated. These guerrillas
were not demanded to give reparations to the victims, as we are asking
for now. And these guerrillas were able, in spite of having committed so
many atrocious crimes, to get an amnesty for atrocious crimes, amnesty
that is not given out today for these crimes against humanity.
The peace process that we are undertaking with the--[inaudible]--of
truth, justice, and reparations, actually set the limits for peace
processes in the future. We have been very rigorous in this process. It
has been a very serious process, and the world and Colombia will know
that the processes in Colombia in the future, with the guerrillas, such
as the ELN and FARC, should require, as we are requiring today, truth,
justice, and reparations.
I would like you to know, Mr. President, that our commitment is the
full defeat of terrorism and the total recovery of justice and of
democratic institutions. We are working with a model of state. We are
not
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dismantling the state, as has been done in many Latin American countries
throughout the nineties, nor are we proposing a state-dominated
government. We do not accept the dismantling of the state or state
monopolies. What we are building is trust for private investment in
Colombia, and at the same time, we are demanding social
responsibilities. We see in trust a way of investing in our country. In
investment, we see a development tool, and in growth, we see a
possibility of overcoming poverty and building equity.
You have come to Colombia, Mr. President, with a thesis which is
necessary for our continent, and that is a diversification of the energy
basket. After Brazil, Colombia is the second country in the continent in
the production of biofuels. We have created the tax incentives. We have
approved regulations in agreement with the standards of the World Trade
Organization. There are projects that are producing more than 1,000
liters of ethanol in Colombia, and there are many more that are being
installed. We have 6 million hectares in the Orinoco department, and
these are savannas, in general, that we can use for biofuel production
without destroying a single tree in our jungle.
We have thanked the President of the United States of America and
his delegation for the support given to Colombia through the Plan
Colombia. The fight against drug trafficking has received support,
practical support, and your support, the support of President Clinton,
the support of your Congress. Your enthusiastic support, Mr. President,
have been very practical and have helped the struggle of the Colombian
people against drug trafficking.
We have the opportunity of discussing very important issues as well,
such as the agenda against poverty, our social goals, our program of
forest rangers families, which is unique in the world, that is paying
50,000 peasant families so that they can protect the jungle, free of
drugs, and so that they can recover the jungle where it has been
destroyed.
We have discussed our trade agreement again and political
possibility of integration, and far away from ideological sectorisms
that is trying to look for opportunities of investment and employment
with dignity and social security programs.
Thank you very much, Mr. President, for coming to Colombia. I am
very proud of my fellow countrymen, when you could come here after
landing at the airport, going through this beautiful landscape, and was
able to go to Plaza de Bolivar and to this palace. I am very proud, Mr.
President, that the world may see how the Colombian people is overcoming
nowadays the great difficulties that we have suffered in the last years.
And again, thank you so much for your visit, sir.
President Bush. Thank you very much for your kind words and for your
invitation. Laura and I are thrilled to be back
in your country again. I've been really looking forward to coming to
this beautiful capital city, and I thank the people of Colombia for such
a generous welcome.
We did have an extensive conversation, but that's what you'd expect
when friends sit down at a table together. I bring the greetings of the
United States. The people of this--my country care deeply about the
human condition. We believe strongly in human rights and human values,
just like you believe in them. We're two strong democracies, and we've
got a lot in common and a lot of values that we share. So this visit
advances those values.
I listened very carefully to the President when he was--expressed
concern about the immigration laws of the United States. He was most
eloquent in his concern about Colombians who live in the United States,
and I assured him that a top priority of my administration is the
passage of comprehensive immigration reform. I will work with both
Republicans and Democrats to
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get a comprehensive bill to my desk as quickly as possible, Mr.
President.
We talked about the benefits of expanding trade so that people in
both our countries can benefit. The United States is Colombia's largest
trading partner. Colombia is the second largest market in Latin America
for U.S. farmers. Trade is beneficial to both countries, and it can grow
even more with the free trade agreement that we signed in November.
I told the President that I will work hard for the passage of that
important piece of legislation. I believe that a trade package with
Colombia is in the interests of both our nations, Mr. President.
I'm looking forward to visiting with some Afro-Colombians today to
talk about social justice programs. The reason I do is because it's very
important for the people of South America and Central America to know
that the United States cares deeply about the human condition and that
much of our aid is aimed at helping people realize their God-given
potential. And so we'll talk about programs all aimed at giving people a
chance to realize their dreams, Mr. President.
You described many of those programs at lunch--or your cabinet
described many of those programs at lunch, and I was most impressed by
the strategy of your administration and the vigor and the energy of your
Cabinet.
I'm looking forward very much to talking and continuing to work with
you to defeat the drug lords and narcotraffickers--narcoterrorists. You
recognize, like I recognize, that the most important function of state
is to provide security for its people. You cannot tolerate, in a
society, the ability of people to take innocent life to achieve
political objectives. And so I appreciate your steadfast strength, and
so do the people of this country.
I am looking forward to working with you on the second phase--or the
next phase of Plan Colombia. We're going to work with your government to
continue to fight drug trafficking. The United States has an obligation
to work to reduce the demand for drugs, and at the same time, work to
interdict the supply of drugs. There's a lot we can do. But part of it
is to help you exercise control over all your territory, is to
strengthen the rule of law, and to expand economic opportunity for the
citizens. And we want to help.
The Plan Colombia recognizes the importance of protecting human
rights. I appreciate the President's determination to bring human rights
violators to justice. He is strong in that determination. It's going to
be very important for Members of my United States--our United States
Congress to see that determination. And I believe, if given a fair
chance, President Uribe can make the case.
This Colombia Government continues to make progress that is going to
earn greater confidence from all its citizens and greater respect in the
international community. You've set high expectations for your nation. I
appreciate your determination, and I'm proud to call you a personal
friend and to call your country a strategic partner of the United
States. Thank you for having me.
Okay.
Colombian Government
Q. Good afternoon. President Bush, what is your opinion about the
way in which the government has handled the scandal of the politicians
involved in drug trafficking because--and the paramilitaries?--because
we know that there are many more members involved with the
paramilitaries. Up to what extent do you support President Uribe given
the fact that most of these paramilitary heads are drug traffickers? And
finally, the U.S. will insist on extraditing these people?
President Bush. I support a plan that says that there will be an
independent judiciary analyzing every charge brought forth, and when
someone is found guilty, there's punishment. That's the kind of plan I
support.
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It happens to be the kind of plan the President supports. In other
words, there's no political favorites when it comes to justice, that if
someone is guilty, they will pay a penalty. And the best way to assure
that that penalty is fair and the justice is fair is for there to be a
court independent from politics.
And so when I asked this very same question to the President about
the news I've been reading in Washington, DC, the same questions he's
going to be asked when he and his government come to talk to our
Congress, he answered just like I described. He said: ``We have an
independent court. We've got a firm law. People will be held to account,
whether or not they're--no matter what political party they may or may
not be associated with.'' That's what the people of Colombia expect;
that's the kind of justice they're going to receive.
Listen, this country has come through some very difficult times. And
the best way to heal wounds is for people to see fair, independent
justice being delivered, and I believe that's the kind of justice this
government will do.
Deb [Deb Riechmann, Associated Press].
U.S. Troop Deployment/Democracy in Colombia
Q. Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are finding it disconcerting that
the number of U.S. troops deployed keeps climbing. Even the budget
revisions that you announced a couple of days ago ordered up more. I'm
wondering, do you think that the American citizens should now look at
the troop buildup that you announced in January, the 21,500, as merely a
starting point? And----
President Bush. Go ahead.
Q. And, President Uribe, with all the talk about Chavez, could you
tell us your opinion on whether you think his influence in the region is
overstated?
President Uribe. What is my opinion on?
Q. With all the talk about Chavez, could you tell us how much you--
if you think that his influence in the region is overestimated or
exaggerated?
President Bush. The troop announcement I made was over 20,000 combat
troops. Secretary Gates and General
Pace went up to Congress and testified to the
effect that those combat troops are going to need some support. And
that's what the American people are seeing in terms of Iraq, the support
troops necessary to help the reinforcements do their job. My hope, of
course, is that Congress provides the funding necessary for the combat
troops to be able to do their job, without any strings attached.
Secondly, in terms of Afghanistan, I did announce, as a result of a
review of our policy, an additional 3,200 troops. But in addition to
that, the troops that you're referring to are going to be part of a
training and embedding mission that I did also discuss during that
strategy, although I didn't have any details of the troops.
President Uribe. Colombia is a loyal ally to the States, and it
shows solidarity towards Latin America as well. We have promoted more
integration with the U.S.A. through Plan Colombia and the free trade
agreement and more integration with Latin America as well. The Andean
community, it has been led by Colombia and has an agreement signed with
MERCOSUR. We have contributed to the creation of the South America
Union. Colombia has been recently accepted as the main member of a Plan
Panama Puebla.
So we are looking also for a trade agreement with Canada. We are
about to close negotiations with three Central American countries. And
as you can see, this is our democratic and loyal international policy.
With our sister countries, we have very good relations. We respect, and
we ask everyone to respect, the guiding principles of international
public law, as well as the respect for the autonomy in each country and
the principle of nonintervention. We have to help one another in
promoting
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freedom and in overcoming poverty and in conquering health.
I have to mention something about the question that was asked to
President Bush. Number one, the whole world must know that this country
was affected for 30 years by the Marxist guerrillas; that these
guerrillas infiltrated politics and journalism; that they infiltrated
the labor movement and labor unions, universities. And the truth was
never demanded, which is something we have to demand in the future.
Number two, the world must know that many--during these years, some
regions in Colombia were not protected. Number three, the world must
know that the guerrillas and the lack of protection was what generated
the paramilitarism. Number four, the world must know that this
administration is the first one that has started fighting directly
against the paramilitarism. There is a political discussion going on,
but the paramilitary aggression has gone down radically.
Why? Because the law on justice and peace has let most--has resulted
in most of the paramilitary leaders being in jail because our security
policy has actually eliminated more than 1,700 of these paramilitary
groups' members. And I'd like to have so many people from other
countries in Colombia present here to be able to say that most of the
crimes that are being tried and prosecuted happened before my
administration, to say that democratic security has been recovering the
transparency in electoral processes in Colombia. Last year's elections,
the opposition to my administration has not even one complaint about
lack of guarantees. They were able to visit all the places with which in
the past were not possible to visit because, on the one hand, there was
control by the guerrillas, and there was also paramilitary control in
other regions, and they couldn't visit these places.
Candidates running for the Presidency in 2006 received effective
guarantees. They were able to visit the whole country, and the effect of
the democratic security policy was quite evident because there were no
pressures against them by the terrorists. The only pressure in the year
2006 were against the people who supported my campaign in departments in
the southern part of the country, where FARC, together with the drug
traffickers, introduced a strike, and they threatened those who were
going to vote for me. And this is something that the world should be
aware of. And there were candidates to Congress and the President from
all ideological movements.
The world must also know that it is a government that has asked for
the truth; that the government is promoting the law on justice and
peace; that it is this administration that has made the decision of
dismantling the criminal machinery of the paramilitaries; that it was
the government who made the decision to put them in jail; that it is
this Government that has made the decision that they have to give out
their own assets to--for the reparations of the victims; and that it is
the government that has made the decision of supporting justice fully.
For the first time, the supreme court of justice in Colombia, which
is an independent branch, has its own investigators. Thanks to the will
of this administration of funding this group, we are dismantling what
was built for many years, for more than three decades. Terrorism
advanced in taking parts of Colombia, and terrorism made progress in
suppressing freedoms, in threatening journalists, in assassinating labor
union leaders. And of all this, we are actually making progress.
So I think I have to tell an anecdote as well. Not long ago, I was
asked if the government supported direct transmissions on TV of the
hearings where the paramilitaries are being tried before the
prosecutors. And I said that the government supported this transmission
alive and direct because that is the way to get the truth. So instead of
being afraid for telling the truth, we have been supporting truth.
Instead of looking for ways out of justice,
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we are trying to support justice as much as possible.
Let's talk about the Director of the security agency, the DAS. When
he left this agency, there were no complaints of links with
paramilitaries against him. And he was then accused of facts that were
known months after he left this agency, the security agency. And I have
to discuss these subjects because these are subjects that are becoming
increasingly important in international debates. The Minister of Defense
has said that if there were any militaries related to terrorist
organizations, they will be withdrawn from their positions.
But we cannot fall into the trap of the guerrillas, that we should
weaken the armed forces. We are not going to make them weak, because
this is the only way we have to have a country without any guerrillas
and without any paramilitaries. There are members--if there are members
of this Government that have any links to these organizations, will be
immediately removed from their offices.
And so I am concerned for the question asked by the journalist. And
he said--and this is not correct--that there are many members of the
government related or with links with paramilitary groups. And this is a
contradiction because this is the first government ever that has
prosecuted the paramilitaries, that has actually killed some of the
paramilitaries and sent others to jail. We are going to eliminate
paramilitarism, and we are going to eliminate the guerrillas, because we
can't fall in the trap that poses a paramilitary scandal that will
actually do away with all the results in democratic security.
The Minister of Defense, at lunch, was saying that we are going to
levee a tax on the wealthiest contributors in Colombia so that they can
contribute to the consolidation of the democratic security program. And
we will demand the truth without any fears, and this is what makes a
difference.
When I was running for the Presidency, I was not well interpreted. I
was saying that Colombia had to eliminate the guerrillas, but perhaps I
was misunderstood because I also said that the only way was to recover
the institutions and, hence, that we had to eliminate the paramilitaries
as well.
On August the 7th, I will have been 5 years in power, and throughout
all the time--and I say this before a great ally, the President of the
United States, and before the world, thanks to the journalists present
here--throughout this Government, we have constantly fought the
guerrillas, the paramilitaries, and the drug traffickers continuously.
Our sole purpose is Colombia free of this plague; our sole purpose is a
Colombia that will have strong institutions again. There is nothing to
hide here. We are fighting against narco and terrorism. And let that be
clear to you all.
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)/American Hostages
Q. Good afternoon. This is a question for President Bush: FARC--the
FARC has many people kidnaped for political purposes and for very many
years. And the humanitarian agreement has been discussed, amongst
others, the free citizens of your countries. Mr. Shannon said this week
that the U.S. would be extremely happy if we could get a solution
through a humanitarian agreement. So my question is, are you going with
your administration to propose an option of a humanitarian agreement, so
that these kidnapees are finally released, vis-a-vis a military action?
And number two, Mr. President, is it true that you two discussed the
military actions that had to be reinforced to release the hostages? And
you have not answered if you are going to insist on extraditing the
paramilitary heads from Colombia.
President Bush. In terms of the extradition, I'm going to work with
President Uribe. We've had good relations; we're friends; we've worked
very closely on the extraditions. And so it will be a government-to-
government decision.
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In terms of the hostages, I am concerned about
their safety, I really am. I'm worried about their families. These are
three innocent folks who have been held hostage for too long, and their
families are concerned about them. We hear from their families. Their
kidnapers ought to show some heart, what they ought to show. And I've
obviously discussed this with the President, and he's developing
strategies that will, hopefully, bring them out safely. That's all I
ask.
It's amazing--isn't it?--to live in a society where you've got part
of your country where people just kidnap somebody who is here trying to
help, without any regard to whether or not--how their family feels.
So that's what I think about, sir. That's what's on my mind
about those
hostages. Obviously, I'd like to see them come
out safely.
Matt [Matt Spetalnick, Reuters].
Iran and Syria/Iraq Regional Conference
Q. President Bush, in your assessment, what, if anything, was
accomplished at the Baghdad regional conference? And what are your
expectations for future rounds? Also, do you take--do you believe that
Iran and Syria were serious in their post-conference statements that
they want to help stabilize Iraq? And if that is true, do you see a
possibility of opening the way towards more formal direct contacts with
those two countries?
President Bush. I'm the kind of person that likes people to say
something and then do it; then we'll react. Words are easy to say in
politics, in the international diplomacy. If they really want to help
stabilize Iraq, there are things for them to do, such as cutting off
weapon flows and/or the flow of suicide bombers into Iraq. There's all
kind of ways to measure whether they're serious about the words they
uttered. We, of course, welcome those words. Those are nice statements.
And now they can act on them.
I thought the conference--well, first of all, I thought the
conference got people in the neighborhood to say positive things about
the young democracy. In other words, people are now committed publicly
to helping Iraq, which was, I thought, very positive. I think the other
benefit from the conference is, is that the government gained some
confidence. In other words, this young democracy had nations from around
the neighborhood and around the world come and talk to them in a way
that was constructive and positive.
Part of the success in Iraq is going to be whether or not this
government has got the confidence necessary to make hard decisions.
They're learning what democracy is all about. They've come from a
tyranny to democracy in a pretty quick period of time. And I believe the
conference will give the different factions inside Iraq the confidence
necessary to do the hard things to reconcile and the government the
confidence necessary to make the decision so that reconciliation can
happen.
So it was a positive outcome. And in terms of the expectations of
the next meetings, we'll see. But the point is, is that the momentum
made in the first one can be carried over to the second one. Secretary
Rice will be going to that meeting. In
other words, it's a step up in--I'm not dissing anybody, but it's a step
up in the pay grade; let's put it that way. [Laughter] And I think--and
I think Condi is going to--will take an agenda that will help advance
this young democracy, and she's going to work with the other nations to
do so.
Gracias, Senor Presidente.
President Uribe. Gracias, President.
President Bush. Thank you very much. Thank you all.
Note: The President's news conference began at 3:34 p.m. at Casa de
Narino. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary of Defense Robert M.
Gates. President Uribe referred
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to Andres Mauricio Penate Giraldo, Director, Department of Security
Administration, and Minister of National Defense Juan Manuel Santos
Calderon of Colombia. President Uribe also referred to ELN, the National
Liberation Army. A reporter referred to President Hugo Chavez Frias of
Venezuela. President Uribe spoke in Spanish, and his remarks were
translated by an interpreter. The Office of the Press Secretary also
released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.