- Title: France's Hollande arrives in Colombian transition zone for rebel disarmament
- Date: 24th January 2017
- Summary: CALDONO, CAUCA (JANUARY 24, 2017) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF TRANSITION ZONE COLOMBIAN FLAG READING (IN SPANISH): "ALL FOR PEACE" FRENCH AND COLOMBIAN DELEGATIONS ARRIVING VARIOUS OF FRENCH PRESIDENT, FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, AND COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT, JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, GREETING MEMBERS OF UNITED NATIONS VERIFICATION MISSION (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FARC COMMANDER, PABLO CATATUMBO, SAYING: "President Francois Hollande's visit is of great importance. Having the commitment of the fifth power in the world, and its contribution to peace (in Colombia) is of great importance. The fact that France is accompanying and supporting the peace process is the most important backing that we have received since we signed the peace deal." VARIOUS OF SANTOS AND HOLLANDE SHAKING HANDS IN FRONT OF COLOMBIAN FLAG POLICEMAN GUARDING AREA HOLLANDE AND SANTOS WALKING THROUGH TRANSITION ZONE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FARC COMMANDER, PABLO CATATUMBO, SAYING: "In the last few months, there has been a real wave of assassinations of human rights defenders, indigenous leaders, and peasants, and that concerns us. We believe that the foreign accompaniment and the vigilance of the international community to respect human rights in Colombia are very important." SOLDIER GUARDING AREA CATATUMBO WALKING THROUGH TRANSITION ZONE VARIOUS OF UN MEMBERS SANTOS AND HOLLANDE TENTS WHERE THE PRESIDENTS WILL HOLD MEETINGS
- Embargoed: 7th February 2017 18:57
- Keywords: Colombia peace Francois Hollande FARC Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia transition zone Pablo Catatumbo
- Location: CALDONO, CAUCA, COLOMBIA
- City: CALDONO, CAUCA, COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00160FYGQV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:French President Francois Hollande arrived at a transition zone for Marxist rebel fighters in Colombia´s mountainous southwest on Tuesday (January 24) on a trip which he said he would use to assess how France can help Colombia accelerate its ongoing peace process.
Hollande - the first French president to visit Colombia since 1989 - arrived in the camp in Caldono, Cauca, at around 11.30 a.m. (1630 G.M.T.). He travelled alongside 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).
After greeting Colombian troops working in the zone, Hollande and Santos were set to meet with the head of the United Nations observation mission in Colombia, Jean Arnauld, and FARC commander Pablo Catatumbo, who stressed the significance of France's support for the process.
"President Francois Hollande's visit is of great importance. Having the commitment of the fifth power in the world, and its contribution to peace (in Colombia) is of great importance. The fact that France is accompanying and supporting the peace process is the most important backing that we have received since we signed the peace deal," said Catatumbo.
"In the last few months, there has been a real wave of assassinations of human rights defenders, indigenous leaders, and peasants, and that concerns us. We believe that the foreign accompaniment and the vigilance of the international community to respect human rights in Colombia are very important," Catatumbo added.
Former Colombian Senator Piedad Cordobo said at a news conference in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday that 16 community leaders had been killed so far this year.
A total of 117 human rights defenders were assassinated in 2016 in Colombia, according to a new report by the group Somos Defensores. The figures for the first month of 2017 were not included.
Hollande is the first foreign head of state to have visited one of the transition zones, following a visit by Germany's Foreign Minister and presidential candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
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 reintegrating into civil society.
The FARC were expected to be concentrated in the zones as of December 31, but the process was delayed due to infrastructure issues.
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.
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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