opinion

Also in this section:

Sirias, An interview with the editor
Bernal, Assault on truckers
Hill, Fast track to trade failure?
Colombia Support Network, The killing of FARC hostages must be condemned
Committee to Protect Journalists, Cuban independent journalist gets 15-month sentence
Muslim Council of Britain, The terrorists are everyone's enemy
Schaeffer, Will the Pink Tide wash over Paraguay next year?
Skog, Bolivia's constitutional birth pains

Pilgrim, Injecting solutions into the illegal drug economy

Carpio, Disaster reduction policies that make sense

Leis, What to do about the national ombudsman's office?

Schwab, Remarks at the signing of the US-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement

On the killing of hostages in Colombia

by the Colombia Support Network

The Colombia Support Network (CSN) condemns in the strongest terms the murder of eleven deputies of the Departmental Assembly of Valle del Cauca, who had been kidnapped by the FARC guerrillas in April 2002. Kidnapping of civilians is a flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law. CSN has repeatedly denounced kidnapping as totally unacceptable. The FARC have continually refused to respect the fundamental principle that civilians are not to be treated as combatants and they bear ultimate responsibility for the security and well-being of those whom they have kidnapped, independently of who killed them. CSN calls for the immediate release of all hostages still being held in Colombia.

CSN also condemns the practice of both the FARC and the Colombian government of using hostages as political pawns to seek advantage in future negotiations. We call upon President Uribe and the Colombian government to enter into a Humanitarian Agreement,   to follow the norms established in the Geneva Conventions and to abandon the strategy of military rescue by legal or illegal means which threatens the lives of the hostages. This Humanitarian Agreement would be a first step toward a negotiated solution to the Colombian conflict.

CSN also calls upon the United States government to support a negotiated solution and not to contribute arms, illegal troops or mercenary contractors to spreading the conflict.

And we call for an investigation to determine who is responsible for the horrendous murder of the Valle del Cauca Deputies and to punish the criminals.

Colombia  Support Network sends its most heartfelt condolences and solidarity to the relatives of the victims.

Sirias, An interview with the editor
Bernal, Assault on truckers
Hill, Fast track to trade failure?
Colombia Support Network, The killing of FARC hostages must be condemned
Committee to Protect Journalists, Cuban independent journalist gets 15-month sentence
Muslim Council of Britain, The terrorists are everyone's enemy
Schaeffer, Will the Pink Tide wash over Paraguay next year?
Skog, Bolivia's constitutional birth pains

Pilgrim, Injecting solutions into the illegal drug economy

Carpio, Disaster reduction policies that make sense

Leis, What to do about the national ombudsman's office?

Schwab, Remarks at the signing of the US-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement