At the opening of the ‘Fifth International Conference of Victims of Terrorism’, where Prince and Princess of Asturias were present, the Head of State pointed that this has been also one of the achievements of the Democratic Security Policy, before victims did not claim because they were too afraid or because they found it useless.

Medellín, May 29 (SP). After talking about the support of the Government to the victims of violence in Colombia, including Administrative Compensation, which will begin on June, President Álvaro Uribe Vélez pointed that today victims have a privileged position in the national agenda.

That was the declaration of the Leader at the beginning of the ‘Fifth International Conference of Victims of Terrorism’, which gathered more than 1.600 guests from different places of the world, including the Prince and Princess of Asturias Felipe de Borbón and Letizia Ortiz.

“Dear fellows, international community, victims representatives – the Leader said -, we are just beginning with this compensation process, but we have made a great progress: victims have a privileged position in the national agenda”.

He highlighted that this has been also an achievement of the Democratic Security policy, taking into account that before victims did not claim because they were too afraid or because they found it useless.

“One of the achievements of the Democratic Security policy is that victims have become a visible phenomenon; democratic and brotherhood conditions have been created so this subject can be priority in the national agenda. This is very important, especially for international analysts”, the President said.

President Uribe thanked Visible Victims Foundation and Diana Sofía Giraldo, Director of the International Conference, because “your perseverance have created a great national awareness about the subject”.

He added that because of initiatives like this, there has been a national change facing the matter of the victims, because “before, with indulgency, some sectors of the country wanted to ingratiate themselves with the victimizers, and they were indifferent with the victims”.