The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the outline of the case of Mr. Oscar Lizcano, Mr. Eduardo Gechen Turbay, Mr. Luis Eladio Pérez Bonilla, Mr. Orlando Beltrán Cuéllar, Ms. Gloria Polanco de Lozada and Ms. Consuelo González de Perdomo, all members of the Colombian Congress, as contained in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/173/11(b)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 171st session (September 2002),

Recalling that all six members of the Colombian Congress were kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) between 5 August 2000 and 23 February 2002 and remain in their hands to date; the health of Mr. Lizcano and Mr. Pérez has seriously deteriorated in captivity and there is no hard evidence that the others are still alive,

Having before it the written report on the on-site mission carried out on 31 March and 1 April 2003, inter alia for the purpose of putting the IPU's concerns about these cases to the Colombian authorities, gathering first-hand information from them and offering IPU's assistance with a view to securing the release of the hostages held by FARC,

Taking account of the additional information obtained by the Secretary General during his subsequent visit to Colombia (May 2003) when he attended the First International Panel on Humanitarian Agreement and Kidnapped Children, organised by the Colombian House of Representatives, and during which he also met senior government and parliamentary authorities,

Recalling that the IPU Governing Council, at its 172nd session (Santiago, April 2003), endorsed a report of the IPU Executive Committee recommending that the IPU and its member parliaments take initiatives in support of concluding a humanitarian agreement between the Colombian Government and FARC to secure the release of the detained politicians and to pave the way for peace negotiations,

Noting that, notwithstanding the failed military attempt of May 2003 to secure the release of several hostages, which resulted in the killing of 10 of them, President Uribe has on many occasions stated his readiness to embark on negotiations with FARC for the sake of a humanitarian agreement; noting also the Santa Fe de Ralito agreement of 15 July 2003 between the authorities and the paramilitary, and the introduction in Congress of a wide-ranging draft bill on their demobilisation,

1. Thanks the authorities of Colombia and, in particular, the President of the National Congress, for their cooperation and for the arrangements made to ensure that the delegation was able, as requested, to travel to Bogotá, meet all concerned parties and enjoy the necessary facilities;

2. Commends the delegation for its work and fully endorses the findings and conclusions contained in its report;

3. Nevertheless regrets that, except for the National Conciliation Commission, which expressed full support, the report has elicited no response from the authorities;

4. Recalls that the taking of hostages among persons with no active part in hostilities is explicitly prohibited under international humanitarian law, and calls on FARC to respect international humanitarian law, to release the civilian hostages immediately and unconditionally, and to refrain from the unlawful practice of kidnapping;

5. Is concerned that, despite the stated commitment of the Government to reach a humanitarian agreement permitting the release of all those held hostage by FARC, and in sharp contrast to the advanced negotiations with the paramilitary where the Government has shown a willingness to make extensive offers, no progress is being made towards such an agreement;

6. Calls on the Government and FARC resolutely to embark on the path of negotiations that will allow them rapidly to achieve this objective;

7. Invites all IPU Member Parliaments with experience of peace and reconciliation processes, also involving securing the release of hostages, to put their experience at the service of the Colombian authorities with a view to assisting them in identifying and implementing an appropriate and humane solution;

8. Expresses deep concern and sorrow at the recent failed attempt to secure the release of hostages through military action, and states its conviction that lasting solutions can only be achieved through negotiation;

9. Is convinced that the Congress of Colombia can play an essential role in securing a national consensus regarding the need for a prompt humanitarian agreement, in monitoring the negotiations taking place to that effect, and in adopting such laws as may be necessary to permit its implementation, and invites the Congress to pursue its efforts in this regard;

10. Emphasizes that reaching a humanitarian agreement may constitute an important confidence-building measure facilitating subsequent negotiations for peace and an end to the armed conflict in Colombia and its devastating consequences; reiterates, however, that peace can only be achieved if respect for human rights is guaranteed, including the fundamental right of victims of human rights violations to know the truth and to receive just reparation;

11. Requests the Secretary General to convey this resolution to the President of the Colombian Congress and to the authorities concerned, inviting them to inform the Committee of any action they may have taken to implement its recommendations;

12. Requests the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session to be held on the occasion of the 110th Assembly.

Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 109th IPU Assembly and related meetings in PDF format (file size 615K approximately). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.

HOME PAGEHUMAN RIGHTSMAIN AREAS OF ACTIVITYIPU STRUCTURE AND DOCUMENTS