- Title: Colombian rebel transition zones prepared for visit by France´s Hollande
- Date: 24th January 2017
- Summary: CALDONO, CAUCA, COLOMBIA (JANUARY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MOUNTAIN RANGE IN CAUCA GENERAL VIEW OF TRANSITION ZONE WHICH FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE WILL VISIT COLOMBIAN AND UNITED NATIONS FLAGS WORKERS CLOSING OFF ZONE VARIOUS OF WORKERS INSTALLING MARQUEE SOLDIER STANDING GUARD VARIOUS OF DUTCH MEMBER OF THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES OF COLOMBIA, "TANYA", INSPECTING AREA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL RESIDENT, CARMEN JULIA CALANBAS, SAYING: "I think that for the majority of us in this community, it is something very important because it is the first time in our lives that a president has visited this area. Especially for the Municipality of Caldono which has been hard hit by guerrilla forces and which has been catalogued throughout the world as a red zone and a place where they have always told people not to go to because it is a war zone." WELCOME SIGN TO TRANSITION ZONE SOLDIERS WALKING UP A HILL WORKERS HANGING AN IMAGE WITH THE COLOMBIAN FLAG AND A DOVE OF PEACE WORKERS IN THE AREA WORKERS CLOSING OFF ZONE SOLDIERS IN THE AREA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL RESIDENT, CARMEN JULIA CALANBAS, SAYING: "With the backing of the president who is coming here, what I hope doesn't happen that afterwards is that we have to suffer for having been a transition zone. That is what the majority of us here fear." BUENOS AIRES, CAUCA, COLOMBIA (JANUARY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF TRANSITION ZONE A DONKEY WALKING IN FRONT OF FARC SIGN A SIGN WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE FARC COMMANDERS VARIOUS OF WORKER USING MACHINERY TO PREPARE LAND FOR TRANSITION ZONE MEMBERS OF MONITORING TEAMS WORKING IN AREA MEMBERS OF MONITORING TEAMS LEAVING IN TRUCKS
- Embargoed: 7th February 2017 02:10
- Keywords: Colombia rebel transition zones FARC Francois Hollande France peace Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
- Location: CALDONO AND BUENOS AIRES, CAUCA, COLOMBIA
- City: CALDONO AND BUENOS AIRES, CAUCA, COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00160AZA6F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A transition zone for rebel fighters in Colombia's mountainous northwest was prepared on Monday (January 23) for a visit by French President Francois Hollande, a staunch moral and financial supporter of the South American nation's ongoing peace process.
Hollande - the first French president to visit Colombia since 1989 - said on Monday he will travel to the transition zone in Caldono, Cauca, to assess how France can assist in accelerating the implementation of the peace accord signed late last year.
Hollande will travel with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos who won the Nobel Peace Prize in October last year for his contributions towards ending 52-years of civil war with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Twenty-six transition zones are being installed throughout the country, where some 5,700 members of the FARC rank and file will undergo disarmament over a period of six months under United Nations supervision, before creating a political party and reintegrating into civil society.
A local resident in Caldono, Carmen Julia Calanbas, 51, said she hoped Hollande's visit would bring benefits to those in the area who suffered badly during the conflict.
"I think that for the majority of us in this community, it is something very important because it is the first time in our lives that a president has visited this area. Especially for the Municipality of Caldono which has been hard hit by guerrilla forces and which has been catalogued throughout the world as a red zone and a place where they have always told people not to go to because it is a war zone," said Calanbas.
She said locals remained wary, however, about the focus drawn to the town in the process.
"With the backing of the president who is coming here, what I hope doesn't happen that afterwards is that we have to suffer for having been a transition zone. That is what the majority of us here fear," Calanbas said.
The FARC were expected to be concentrated in the zones as of December 31, but the process was delayed due to problems with infrastructure.
France has contributed a total of 17 million Euros (18.28 million U.S. dollars) to a European Union fund worth 95 million Euros ($102.17 million) established on December 12, 2016, for the implementation of the Colombian peace process.
FARC commander Pastor Alape also said in a recent news conference that Hollande's visit illustrates the international community acting to uphold its commitment to the peace process.
The Socialist president, who currently maintains a four percent satisfaction rate among French voters, conceded recently that he would not run in France's upcoming presidential elections, which are widely expected to be won by the right or far-right. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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