Archbishop hopes for peace in Colombia

FROM JEREMY MCDERMOTT IN BOGOTA
THE HEAD of the Colombian bishops' conference has said he is hopeful that a
peace commission's proposal for a six-month truce between the armed forces and Colombia's largest guerrilla group will be accepted.
"The proposal will be well-received. The entire country is hoping for a cease-fire," said Archbishop Alberto Giraldo Jaramillo of Medellin, bishops' conference president, in a telephone interview.
The archbishop was interviewed on September 26, after a peace commission proposed the truce between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, called FARC after its Spanish initials.
"News reports say that the FARC reaction is positive," said Archbishop Giraldo, an adviser to the government on its negotiations with FARC.
However, he noted that the truce proposal did not include other guerrilla organisations and paramilitary groups fighting the rebels.
The initial reaction of paramilitary groups was negative. A statement by the United Self-Defense Units of Colombia, an umbrella group for paramilitary organisations, said it would continue fighting against FARC if the truce were accepted.
"Self-defence units will remain active until the last guerrilla gun against the people is silenced," said the statement.
Archbishop Giraldo said that peace in Colombia was also tied to the elimination of other "social sins" such as drug trafficking, corruption and arms trading.
Eliminating these "social sins" involved international cooperation, said the archbishop.
The truce proposal was drafted by a three-member commission created by the government and FARC in February. Separate government negotiations with the National Army of Liberation, another major guerrilla group, are stalled, said Archbishop Giraldo.
The Catholic Church has been actively promoting dialogue and negotiations among the warring factions, he said.
Six years ago, the bishops established a national conciliation commission to encourage peace talks and to keep peace initiatives alive, Archbishop Giraldo said. Another bishops' commission is trying to revive the dormant talks between the government and the National Army of Liberation. About 90 per cent of Colombia's 41 million people profess Catholicism.