“What does the compensation effort means? It is an expression, from our souls, to avoid seeds of hate, to avoid revenge, so the country can create all the spiritual conditions for a total reconciliation” the Head of State pointed when he was giving the first three indemnities in Popayán. The Leader asked for forgiveness to the victims of the violence in the country.

Popayan, Cauca, July 5 (SP). The first act to give the solidarity compensations to the victims of violence who requested administrative compensation is an expression from the soul, to avoid seeds of hate, President Álvaro Uribe said.

That was pointed by the President, during the act to give the three first compensations, to citizens who lost their families in violent situations by illegal armed groups.

“What does the compensation effort means? It is an expression, from our souls, to avoid seeds of hate, to avoid revenge, so the country can create all the spiritual conditions for a total reconciliation”, the Head of State expressed.

Uribe Vélez reiterated that “full compensation does not exist”, but by giving them this indemnities, the country makes an effort leaving behind the economic meaning.

“The country is making this effort, leaving behind the meaning of economic issues and putting on front the need to have an expression from the soul of Colombian institutions, to contribute to create that ideal scenario to a sincere reconciliation of all Colombians”, he said.

The President agreed to what Eduardo Pizarro, president of the National Commission of Compensation and Reconciliation, said at the ceremony, and asked the victims for forgiveness for  a violence that have existed since the middle 40´s, and which should end through the Democratic Security Policy.

“That is why, I with the responsibility of being the President of the Republic, for be elected as the Head of State, and also for instructions from my soul, for memories, for pain, for nostalgia, I want to join Eduardo Pizarro in what he said, to ask all Colombians for forgiveness and make a commitment that we will not save any efforts to recover peace through security with democratic values”, he said.

The individual administrative compensation program, which shows today its first progress in Popayan, was created by the National Government by the 1290 decree of 2008, with the purpose to grant individual compensation to those victims who, before April 22 of 2008, were damaged and suffered from violation of their rights by actions of illegal armed groups.

This first delivery of compensations includes two thousand victims, 300 of them received it in Popayán, and the other 1.700 received it simultaneously all around the country.

Acción Social Presidential Agency confirmed that, until today, around 240 thousand people are registered to receive this kind of compensation.

Before de end of this year 10 thousand families of victims will receive this compensation. The Head of State highlighted this fact.