On April 03, 2009

The swap of war prisoners or humanitarian exchange is a part of the political and military line of the FARC-EP for a dozen of years. It is not a capricious question. Not even the bold demand of a few insane persons. It is a serious topic, which has foundation in the deep historical roots of the military political conflict through that we live in Colombia.

The militaries and police officers who are under the control of our organization are not kidnapped, not at least retained. They are war prisoners, surrended and captured enemies in different actions of confrontation. Just like what happens with the captured guerrillas in the jails of the Regime. And Colombian government extradites them to the United States.

The President Uribe, his ministers and generals lie in a cynical way to the country and to the world. First, they deny the existence of the conflict. And second, on making sure that they are so close to the end of the confrontation with the FARC. At this point everybody should be clear; it is impossible to beat our revolutionary organization. But they promise every day.

With the most contradictory of the intentions. To trivialize the situation, to deny all importance. Uribe pays 60.000 millions of pesos daily to the war. Every day in the interior and the outside of the country, the news refer to the FARC. It is the principal topic in Colombia for them. And he wants the same in Latin America, too. But he claims that nobody even considers our existence.

 He makes sure that it has conquered us with the military pressure and the desertions. As if the final capitulation is a matter of a few days. He hopes that nobody gives any importance to us. But the time runs. The days, the months, the years, the quadrennial periods pass. The FARC  continues fighting for a new Colombia, speaking about swap and political solution.

Forty five years of intenseconfrontation demonstrate that in Colombia there are two armies in battle. One that defends the interests of the oligarchy and the other one that fights for the aspirations of the people. One has the imperial support, the favor of the bags full of money and the benevolence of the press. Other is given birth by the popular and loyal anguish forever.

At present this is the political character of the conflict. With the disgusting adjectives which the Regime has successively treated the rebellion. It is a question of two belligerent forces that represent opposite conceptions of the political power. And that came to a result from the state violence against the legal opposition.

 The facts are concrete. There are a huge number of commanders of the Army and the Police in hands of the FARC. During a decade it is so. Our organization asks for the exchange in a place and a form agreed in a conversation table for the guerrillas who remain deprived of the freedom in the jails of the country and the exterior.

 It is fair. It needs scarcely for its achievement the recognition of the existence of the adversary. Precisely the regime and the President Uribe consider being inadmissible. It is a pure stubbornness. The extraordinary destined sum to fight and the permanent importance that they award us putting present. What an absurdity of such a position.

That's what they can only appeal, to lie. To increase the faith with a next victory that will demonstrate the uselessness of celebrating some agreement with those who were on the point of being defeated. The whole cackling of the minister Santos points at that. To certify the uselessness of the humanitarian agreement. To reduce arguments to a search for a political solution.

Although they certainly know that the engaged victory is not going to come. That's why the show business, the fight with Venezuela and Ecuador, the seasoning with Brazil, the march of the titanium, the big drum of the reintegration. At the moment they deny an objective reality, they have the rudeness against the demands of FARC for the liberation of their prisoners, as if we were a weak and frightened force.

Unilateral peace gestures, they say. That it is time to show the good faith. They forgot with intention that we have liberated three hundred prisoners without conditions in Yarí six years ago. And also we gained access repeatedly forlater liberations while the blind terrorism of the regime was opening the way for fatal misfortunes. No. The balance implies another thing.

 It is already enough of accusing us of not wanting the exchange. As if any day  

the State had been that had offered it to the FARC. This flag, as the civil solution tothe Colombian conflict, is part of our ideological and political arsenal. We will never move back to work for it. But here are the guerrillas and the soldiers and police officers are there. Without any return.

 The destiny of the police officers and soldiers hurts us. At that moment they fought with value for the regime which they had defended. Now they are war prisoners, they are caught between the stubbornness of this regime and the hope of the people. But it hurts us as well the destiny of the guerrillas and imprisoned guerrillas. The solitude of their families.

 These revolutionary combatants left everything to hold up the weapons for the cause of the democracy, the sovereignty and the social justice in their homeland. Without gettingonly one penny. They moved with the highest feelings of equity and nobility. With the feelings that Uribe is a depraved person who insists on buying with sickening coins.

Everyone has their consciences. The show does not impress us. We know that the treachery of one cannot opposite to the loyalty of the thousands. After all the deserters and demobilized people there is only the mud that stays in the shores after the powerful revolutionary flood. The rest of his existence will be miserable.

 The war should not exist. How beautiful is awakening on a Sunday surrounded by people who you love. Without the fear of dying by being murdered because of not thinking like the regime. With the safety of a worthy work. Living in a country in peace, without odious injustices, full of opportunities. The humanitarian exchange is the route to obtain it. To work for it really means to love Colombia.