June 29, 2007

• “The truth is that it’s very hard, in the middle of the pain. Look: the pain will encourage us to support the families, but not to the halting of the State”.
• “Pain should be a source of sympathy and support for the families, but can’t be the halting of the State”.
• “The State can not yield to blackmail”.

Cartagena, June 29 (MRE). Support for the relatives of the 11 members of parliament who were murdered by the FARC, and that find themselves in a difficult economic situation, has been announced by the President Álvaro Uribe Vélez.

The Head of State indicated, during the closure of the Andesco Congress, that the meeting with the relatives of the 11 mp’s was very painful, but also very constructive.

He said that, as he returned yesterday to Bogotá, he looked for his sons -Tomás and Jerónimo- to give them blessing, just the way he does every night. Then, his wife, Mrs. Lina Moreno, reminded him that many of the children in Cali had lost their parents, who were the mp’s of the Valle.

“As I returned to Bogotá, I went to look for my children to give them my blessings, and Lina told me, these children have a father, who comes to give them his blessings. Those from Cali lost their fathers or the parents lost their children. That’s a very hard thing”, she affirmed.

He continued indicating that “the Government has to find the mechanisms. There is no indemnification who could overcome the pain. There are many orphan children with difficulties for studying”.

“I think that the Government cannot wait to be sued, or wait for sentences of the Council of State, or some orders of payment from international courts. I think we have to find alternatives as soon as possible, to support those families in the middle of this hard situation. We’re going to do it”, he explained.

The President indicated that next week he will return to Cali to speak with the families of the deputies of the Valle.

THE PAIN

Uribe said that in last night’s meeting he felt a deep contrast between the pain and the responsibilities with the Democratic Security policy.

He indicated that many told him not to go yesterday to speak with the families, that he should wait until the pain had passed, since often the pain is expressed through aggressiveness, but he replied that the events where he doesn’t assist are cocktails and parties.

“Now, the pain of the families; I think what we need is to support them, for them to feel our company. Yesterday I was told by many countrymen: don’t go, wait, it’s not the right moment, often the pain is expressed through aggressiveness. I told them, no, I don’t pay attention to cocktails and parties, but we have to pay attention to the pain of the people. We have to support the families. And all us, citizens, have to accompany them, make them feel our fondness, make them feel our affection”, he added.

He affirmed that it is easy to say no to the demilitarized zone in a venue like the IX Congress of Public Services, but a very different thing is, to tell the families if the Valle, that in middle of their pain, request for it.

“The truth is that it’s very hard, in the middle of the pain. Look: the pain must encourage us to support the families, but not to the halting of the State. The pain should be source of sympathy and support for the families, but can’t be a reason for the halting of the State. The State can not yield to blackmail”.

“I was saying yesterday: well, this pain. But if I propose a demilitarized zone, for them to think that the crime pays? If something important has happened during the last years, is the firmness to face crimes, which reflects on the figures, it shows that crime does not pay”, he affirmed.