Not all House Democrats seek a range of views on the human rights situation, narcotrafficking, or the complexities of U.S. policy in Colombia. Here is House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), speaking today on a visit to Colombia whose agenda consisted almost completely of meetings with Colombian government officials. (Audio here.)
It is hugely disappointing that a prominent member of Congress failed to use this forum even to say a sentence about the importance and legitimacy of non-governmental human rights defenders, journalists, and judges. Though Ãlvaro Uribe frequently subjects these individuals to vicious verbal abuse – including irresponsible accusations of support for terrorism – Mr. Hoyer warmly praised the “respect and protection” that President Uribe purportedly offers them.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. I am pleased, along with Mr. Blunt, to lead this delegation of nine members of the Congress of the United States. We have taken an opportunity over this break in the Congress’ business to visit Mexico, Panama, and Colombia, and we will be going from here to MedellÃn, and then to Brazil.
One of the focuses of our trip has been the critical importance of the partnership between the United States and our friends, to fight those who would undermine the health and security of our countries and of our people with narcotrafficking and terrorism.
The success that Colombia has had under President Uribe has been extraordinary and welcome. Plan Colombia has worked, is working, and we believe needs to continue to work.
We are pleased as well with the progress that has been made on human rights, with the commitment of President Uribe and his cabinet, to focus on making sure that every individual’s rights are respected, and protected. Whether they be friends, or whether they not be allies or friends. That all people deserve respect and protection.
We are also pleased to be joined by our ambassador, Ambassador Brownfield, and most particularly, by the ambassador of Colombia to the United States, Carolina Barco, who is with us as well, who does such an extraordinarily good job in representing the people of Colombia and the Uribe administration.
We obviously, as well, talked about the free-trade agreement that is pending. I am a supporter of that agreement, as is Mr. [Roy] Blunt [R-Missouri]. And we heard from the President, from the Minister of Labor, the Minister of Trade, the Foreign Minister, the Defense Minister, on how very important this agreement is, not only to the economic relationship between Colombia and the United States, but also to the people of Colombia. We will hope to return to the United States and to work with the administration to see this matter move forward.
I’m now very pleased to yield, but before I do that, as I said, we are going to MedellÃn, the city of the President’s birth. MedellÃn, where I have never been, but I am told is a striking example of the success, Mr. President, that you have had in reclaiming a city from narcoterrorists, providing security and safety for people, so the quality of life of your people has been enhanced very substantially. We look forward to that visit.
April 8th, 2009 at 2:01 am
Bravo, Steny! At last one of them is recognizing reality, the reality that Colombia is no longer a terrifying den of Marxist narcoterror, but a credible, striving middle income country which tries to improve itself every year, and is showing quite a bit of success. Just that much needs to be said, because you’d never know it from reading this blog.
Improving? Yes. Perfect? No. But I’d like to see a nation that is.
April 8th, 2009 at 2:26 am
Adam, maybe this piece of info is of interest to your concerns.
A modification to the Peace and justice law was filed, at the beginning of March, that benefits paramilitaries without much public discussion and/or knowledge:
Gobierno radicó modificación a la Ley de Justicia y Paz
April 8th, 2009 at 10:46 am
anyone who thinks that the democratic party is somehow pro-human rights is naive. it’s about power… money… etc. they only use it as a platform to get votes. any meaningful legislation will never pass even in a majority congress.
talk is cheap… actions speak louder than words.
April 8th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
The Dems didn’t attempt to institutionalize torture. As for the GOP, I suggest you read the ICRC report on Gitmo.
April 8th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
The quasi-marxist naro terror may be on the wane, for the time being, but the ideologically void narco-terror is continuing in full stride. Look to see what happened in Medellin over the weekend and on Monday.
April 8th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Camilla is willfully blind to the ideologically void narco-terror because people like her and her rich mommy and daddy depend on the mafioso perpetrators of that violence for the continuance of their privileges. And, if you believe that Colombia’s narco-paramilitary government is worthy of being called “credible” and “striving” then you should read the following article about who it is that really benefits from “progress” in the country:
Rags in the Shadows of Colombia’s Riches
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012203958.html
April 8th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7991101.stm
April 8th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
This is so confusing, Cali an Medellin are besieged by all kinds of mafia (not to mention Bogota), as I write, vendettas are taken over the streets. And some astray blocks continue to praise the colombian success of The narcocratic security. It’s as if for some strange reason, some people are living a in fourth dimension unrelated to the crude reality Colombia faces.
April 9th, 2009 at 5:07 am
For the readers of this block, could be interesting to read ’semana’ today, because it show a
very different panorama.
http://www.semana.com/noticias-seguridad/disparados-homicidios-medellin-cali/122691.aspx
April 9th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I think they got sloppy on the troop patrols. They need more of them, all over, like they had in 2007. When I was last in Medellin in 2009, there were hardly any cops or troops. It was a mistake to get rid of those.
April 9th, 2009 at 10:05 am
It’s disturbing that this could–just could–reflect ascending positions within the Obama administration. If so, it would be most unfortunate.
Some of us hope that Congressman Hoyer is, as the Americans say, “a loose canon.” I also wonder whether he has been talking with Washington Post journalist Scott Wilson.