FARC communique: 'Warmongers win'

FARC has continued to wage war while talking peace

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have issued a communique in response to President Andres Pastrana's deadline to either pull out of their safe haven in the south or face military action following the collapse of the peace process.

The following is the text of FARC's communique read out on Caracol TV by FARC spokesman Simon Trinidad:

Public communique: The spokesmen of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) at the National Dialogue and Negotiation Table tell national and international public opinion the following:

1. After learning about President Andres Pastrana Arango's decision to end the dialogue and negotiation process with the FARC- EP, despite the efforts made on 11 and 12 January, with the presence Mr James LeMoyne, special adviser of the UN Secretary General, we propose to Mr President the official return of the urban areas of the five municipalities in a public ceremony in the same way we received them, in the presence of representatives of the international community, economic groups, workers, peasants, political parties and various personalities and organizations that in the past three years have made their contributions to this attempt to achieve national reconciliation and reconstruction.

Pastrana thinks time has run out

2. The 48-hour ultimatum, which will expired at 2130 on 14 January [0230 GMT 15 January], established by Mr President unilaterally changes everything that has been agreed upon in the past three years.

And thus, it closes the possibilities to the current process, which despite difficulties, has valuable tools, the main of them being the common agenda to achieve change for a new Colombia and the proposals exchanged by the parties regarding a ceasefire and end to the hostilities, the document containing the recommendations of the Commission of Personalities, the San Francisco de la Sombra Agreement, and the draft prepared with the UN facilitator who has continuously consulted Mr President.

3. Once again the selfish interests of a privileged and rich minority are being placed above the interests of 40 million Colombians. For the time being, the warmongers have won out to obstruct the possibilities of achieving peace with social justice.

4. Mr President: You, as head of state and government, are called upon to guarantee the lives and security of the inhabitants of the five municipalities within the demilitarized zone.

We will comply with our commitment to retreat from the urban areas as was agreed upon between you and Commander-in-Chief Manuel Marulanda Velez at the beginning of the process.

5. To the country and the world we reaffirm our willingness to continue using all forms of struggle to achieve the changes that Colombia needs to in order to reconcile and reconstruct the homeland.

No more time for Marulanda

This has been and continues to be our goal. The search for political solution belongs to Colombians and this will always be the best path to follow in the future.

6. We urge all Colombians to struggle in an organized manner to attain the economic, political, social changes that Colombia requires.

Signed on behalf of the FARC-EP by spokesmen Raul Reyes, Joaquin Gomez, Carlos Antonio Lozada, Andres Paris, and Simon Trinidad in the mountains of Colombia on 13 January 2002.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.