The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the case of Mr. Oscar Lizcano, Mr. Jorge Eduardo Gechen Turbay, Mr. Luis Eladio Pérez Bonilla, Mr. Orlando Beltrán Cuéllar, Ms. Gloria Polanco de Lozada and Ms. Consuelo González de Perdomo, all former members of the Colombian Congress, as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/178/12(b)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 177th session (October 2005),

Recalling that these six persons were kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) between 5 August 2000 and 23 February 2002, and are still in their hands,

Taking account of the communication of 16 March 2006 from the Director of the Presidential Programme on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law forwarding a copy of a report from the Attorney General's Office, according to which two persons were found guilty and are serving their sentence for their involvement in the kidnapping of Mr. Lizcano and of Ms. González de Perdomo, and of the fact that charges or precautionary measures are pending against the leadership of FARC and others in all six cases,

Considering that, despite a number of promising openings towards the conclusion of a humanitarian agreement between the Colombian Government and FARC, such an accord has yet to be reached,

Considering that presidential elections will be held on 28 May 2006 and that congressional elections were held in March 2006,

1. Thanks the Director of the Presidential Programme on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law for the information provided; and notes that some progress has been made towards holding those responsible for the kidnappings to account;

2. Is nevertheless disappointed that all efforts made thus far to reach a humanitarian agreement have been inconclusive;

3. Strongly urges once again the Colombian Government and FARC to act with the necessary resolve to conclude a humanitarian agreement as soon as possible, particularly in view of the precarious health of several of those held hostage by FARC;

4. Calls upon the new Congress to take the necessary action to fulfil its important role in promoting the conclusion of such an agreement and in monitoring any consultations to this end, in particular by putting in place a parliamentary body for this purpose with an effective mandate and adequate resources; and would greatly appreciate receiving information in this regard;

5. Recalls that the taking of hostages among persons playing no active part in hostilities is explicitly prohibited under international humanitarian law, and that FARC is consequently under an obligation to release the civilian hostages forthwith;

6. Requests the Secretary General to convey this resolution to the competent authorities, the sources and other interested parties;

7. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held during the 115th IPU Assembly (October 2006).

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