After a meeting with President Álvaro Uribe Vélez at the Casa de Nariño, the European Union (EU) Counter-terrorism Coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, stated that the organization recognizes the achievements of the National Government’s policy. He also announced that the EU will reinforce information exchange about Farc’s activities in Europe.

Bogotá, July 22 (SP). “We declare and admit, indeed, that President Uribe’s Democratic Security Policy has had important successes”, Gilles de Kerchove, EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator, said this Wednesday in his visit to the country.
After his meeting with the Colombian Leader, the EU coordinator highlighted the importance that fundamental and human rights have for the European Union.

“We consider, from the EU, that we must place the victims of terrorism and violence in the core of our work, because that helps us to illegitimate terrorist groups and get rid of that glamour that they intend to sell” the diplomat said.

He also told how President Uribe explained to him the efforts of the National Government to deal with victims of violence, such as the Administrative Reparation (compensation), which began last 5 of July in the city of Popayán.

As for the eradication of coca crops policies, Gilles de Kerchove stated that “the EU does not support air spraying; it supports manual eradication and alternative crops”.

He said that the Colombian Head of State asked him “to send a message in Europe so the EU increases its support to Colombia to develop alternative eradication methods”.

Regarding to the drug transportation route in West Africa, Mr. Kerchove explained that in the coming months there will be an operative agreement between the European Police Office (Europol) and Colombian Forces for information exchange.

He also said he respects the agreement between Colombia and the United States for military air bases in our country to fight terrorism and drug trafficking.

“I am not supposed to give my opinion about the political agreements between Colombia and the United States, but we understand that exchanging information and intelligence is important, for each part, and in that way, Plan Colombia has helped to the normalization of the country and I believe that a close cooperation on information exchange, in general, is a good idea”, he expressed.

As for Farc’s activities outside Colombia, he stated “that is where international cooperation must be reinforced, information and intelligence exchange”.

“The EU put three illegal armed organizations in the EU terrorists list: the Farc, Eln and Auc. And if someone support these groups, for Europe, that is a violation of legality.

At the end, De Kerchove announced that the Ministers Council of the European Union endorsed cooperation between Colombia and Europol, which will allow information exchange.