Cúcuta, Nov 21 (SP). President Álvaro Uribe Vélez asked international community to work with Colombians in the fight against violence and said that the need today is “to be able to prosper with the tools of work and never destroy our people with the rifles of war”.

During the opening act of the Government’s Communal Council in Cucuta, the Head of State pointed out that Colombia has the ‘firm determination’ to defeat not only the internal violence, but also ‘not to sacrifice our people in the game of international wars, and least in wars with brothers’.

“That is why we ask the international community –he said- to work with us to defeat this violence that has hurt us so much. And as we have all the determination to defeat internal violence, we also have all the determination not to sacrifice our people in the game of international wars, and least in wars with brothers”.

After quoting Rafael Uribe Uribe, who stated that his generation was wrong to use violence and not work to transform the country, the Head of State said that what the sons of the Nation of Bolivar need (Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia) is “to be able to prosper with the tools of work and never destroy our people with the rifles or war”.

About it, he said: “The only thing that us Colombians need today in our Nation, and in our greater Nation, which is the Nation of Venezuela, the Nation of Ecuador, the Nation of Panama, the Nation of Peru, the Nation of Bolivia, the Nation of Bolivar, is to be able to prosper with the tools of work. Never destroy our people with the rifles of war”.

According to President Uribe, after just seven years of peace in the XIX century, and just forty years of peace in the XX century, Colombia still has the need of fully overcome violence.

“But we are going to make it. There is nothing -with the help of God- that can stop us on our goal to defeat violence, so this country can have in this century a century to get even and have collective prosperity”. 

As the celebration of the Bicentenary of Independence is coming, President Uribe made a review of Colombian history beginning with the conquest and finishing with the appearance of narco-terrorism that characterizes guerrillas and paramilitaries. That exercise helps to conclude that violence is what has not allowed Colombians to live in a prosperous and peaceful country.