A Conversation with the Vice President of Colombia General 脫scar Naranjo
Vice President Oscar Naranjo, former director of Colombia鈥檚 National Police and a member of the government team that negotiated the peace accord with the FARC, discussed the status of implementation of the agreement; the progress made in carrying out the country鈥檚 anti-narcotics strategy; and Colombia鈥檚 contributions to regional security efforts.
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Key Quotes (original Spanish and translation)
鈥淪i yo fuera un empresario en mi pa铆s, yo estar铆a pensando en las oportunidades de la paz.鈥
鈥淚f I were a businessman in my country, I would be thinking about the opportunities presented by the peace.鈥
鈥淒茅jenme tambi茅n compartir con ustedes una muy buena noticia. La noticia de que hoy, sin el conflicto con las FARC, Colombia est谩 experimentando la tasa m谩s baja de homicidios de los 煤ltimos 42 a帽os.鈥
鈥淎llow me to share with you all some very good news. The news is that today, without the armed conflict with the FARC, Colombia is experiencing its lowest homicide rate in the past 42 years.鈥
鈥淐uando empezamos hacer comparaciones sobre la eficaz del acuerdo, para se asegure el cese bilateral del fuego de hostilidades definitivo, la conclusi贸n es que este acuerdo puede ser el m谩s eficaz de los 煤ltimos treinta ocho que se han firmado en la 煤ltima mitad del siglo.鈥
鈥淲hen we begin to compare the effectiveness of this accord to verify the bilateral ceasefire and definitive end of hostilities, the conclusion is that this accord might be the most effective of the last 38 that have been signed in the last half of the century.鈥
鈥淎hora que Colombia est谩 clasificado al Mundial de f煤tbol de Rusia, voy a dar una respuesta en t茅rminos futbol铆sticos. Despu茅s de haber sostenido decenas de reuniones esta semana con congresistas, con el alto gobierno, con las agencias norteamericanas, tengo que decir que regresamos invictos. 驴Por qu茅 digo invictos? Porque en ninguna conversaci贸n con esas autoridades e incluso con las congresistas, se nos ha hecho una demanda, exigencia o recomendaci贸n de regresar a la aspersi贸n a茅rea.鈥
鈥淪ince Colombia has just qualified for the World Cup in Russia, I will speak in soccer terms. After having dozens of meetings this week with members of Congress, high government officials, and U.S. agencies, I have to say that we will return to Colombia undefeated. Why do I say undefeated? Because in none of these conversations, including with members of Congress, did anyone demand, suggest, or recommend that we re-employ aerial fumigation [of coca crops].鈥
鈥淗oy, las tasas de interdicci贸n colombianas en funci贸n de que se produce Colombia est谩n sobre el 43 por ciento. Es decir, las autoridades colombianas hoy, militares, polic铆as y fiscales est谩n decomisando el 43 por ciento del total que produce Colombia. Nosotros tenemos certeza de sin la m谩quina de guerra de las FARC en frente, que consum铆a la buena parte de la energ铆a institucional militar y policial, hoy sin ese conflicto con las FARC, las capacidades militares policiales pueden mejorar a煤n m谩s las tareas de interdicci贸n para que menos coca铆na llegue al Estados Unidos.鈥
鈥淭oday, the figures for drug interdiction in Colombia in relation to how much the country produces are around 43 percent. In other words, Colombian authorities 鈥 the military, police, and prosecutors 鈥 seize 43 percent of the total drugs produced in Colombia. We are certain that without the war machine of the FARC to confront, which consumed a good part of the institutional energy of the military and police, without the armed conflict with the FARC, the military and police鈥檚 capacity for interdiction will improve even further to make sure that less cocaine arrives to the United States.鈥
鈥淓n el a帽o 2001, se produjo m谩s de 3,800 secuestros en Colombia. Llegamos en ser el pa铆s del mundo con m谩s v铆ctimas afectadas por ese delito. Hoy, esa cifra ha ca铆do a su m铆nimo hist贸rico.鈥
鈥淚n 2001, there were more than 3,800 kidnappings in Colombia. We came to be known as the country with the most victims of this crime in the word. Today, that figure has fallen to a historic low.鈥
鈥淓ncontramos un territorio de alguna manera dislocado despu茅s de 53 a帽os de conflicto. No hay duda que en ese territorio Colombia profunda, realmente hay lo que nos muestra son inmensas oportunidades, pero tambi茅n d茅ficits estructurales donde la situaci贸n de inequidad es realmente dram谩tica en funci贸n de una comparaci贸n que uno hace entre un ciudadano colombiano urbano y un campesino en esa Colombia profunda. Cerrar esas veces de inequidad es un prop贸sito de esta construcci贸n de la paz.鈥
鈥淎fter 53 years of conflict, we have found that our country is in some way distorted. There is no doubt that in the immense territory of Colombia, there are truly immense opportunities, but there are also structural deficits where the situation of inequality is truly dramatic when you compare the situation of a Colombian living in an urban area and a country person in the countryside. Closing those inequalities is a goal in our construction of peace.鈥
鈥淓ste acuerdo es realmente el marco que nos va a permitir con un enfoque de paz territorial superar inequidades, superar d茅ficits, llevar m谩s estado al territorio, pero al mismo tiempo llevar la posibilidad plena bajo una posici贸n 茅tica y pol铆tica a que todos los ciudadanos sin distingo deben tener acceso a derechos, a bienes, y servicios鈥
鈥淭his accord is truly a framework that will allow us to focus on territorial peace to overcome inequalities, to overcome shortfalls, to bring more state presence to the territories, and at the same time to introduce the full possibility, under a position of ethical politics, that all citizens will have access ,without distinction, to rights, goods, and services.鈥
鈥淢e gustar铆a ser enf谩tico, y perm铆tanme la expresi贸n un poco dura, categ贸rica, frente ustedes para que no haya sombra de duda, de que el acuerdo de paz en Colombia para nada debilita la institucionalidad democr谩tica, para nada afecta valores y principios democr谩ticos.鈥
鈥淚 would like to be emphatic, and if you will allow me to use an expression a little blunt, categorical, with all of you so that there is not a shadow of a doubt that the peace accord in Colombia in no way weakens the country鈥檚 institutional democracy. It has no effect on its democratic values and principles."
鈥淟o que me queda clara despu茅s de esta semana muy intensa... es que la administraci贸n reconoce a Colombia como un aliado fundamental, no solamente en la lucha contra las drogas sino como un aliado fundamental en la regi贸n para otros fines estrat茅gicos.鈥
"What is clear to me after this intense week... is that this administration recognizes Colombia as a fundamental ally, not only in the fight against drugs, but also as a fundamental ally in the region for other strategic goals."
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