In this photo released by Colombia's Presidency, Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe, left, talks to his new Defense Minister Gabriel Silva, right, during Silva's swearing in ceremony at the military base in Bogota, Friday, Aug.7, 2009.(AP Photo/ Colombia's Presidency, Cesar Carrion)
Translated from Spanish by Aimee Kligman
This speech was delivered by President Uribe from Calamar (a Colombian municipality in the North of the Bolivar region)
As published in: Noticiero Digital -
'Allow me, Calamar compatriots, to change the subject of the topic that concerns us, to give a few thoughts on President Chavez' declaration.
President Chavez, the truth, as witnessed, is that I allowed you to negotiate with FARC, as you requested. I allowed you to meet with FARC, as you requested. I allowed you to meet with ELN. (note: ELN is a lesser known rebel group than FARC). I allowed that Rodgrigo Granda to be moved from Cuba to Venezuela. (Rodrigo Granda is the leader and main spokesperson for the most powerful revolutionary guerrilla group in Latin America, FARC).
And as in so many previous instances, FARC continued to lie and not comply.
The truth, President Chavez, and the witnessed truth, is that when there are no arguments left, and one resorts to insults, as you do, it not only affects international relations, but in this case, you, with your insults and lack of arguments, hurt the dignity of the very people of Venezuela that you represent.
The truth, President Chavez, is that we need to mediate against terrorism rather than mediate with those who legitimize terrorism. Your words, your behavior, give the impression that you are not interested in peace for Colombia, but rather that Colombia fall victim to a FARC led terrorist government.
The truth, President Chavez, and the witnessed truth, such as our truth, is that we need you to help us overcome the tragedy of terrorism, rather than to take advantage of the need for a humanitarian agreement to ask for Colombia's help, so that you can come to Colombia to interfere, and foment an expansionist project.
The truth, President Chavez, is that if you are fomenting an expansionist project in the Continent (read: the Latin American Continent), this project has no way into Colombia.
The truth, President Chavez, and the witnessed truth, is that you cannot inflame the Continent (here Uribe is taking about both North and South America), as you are doing, speaking against Spain on one day, and the United States on the next; mistreating Mexico one day, and Peru on the next, in the morning from Bolivia. You cannot mistreat the Continent, inflame it, as you are doing, talking about imperialists, when you, based on your wealth, want to build an empire.
The truth, President Chavez, is that you cannot distort history, you cannot stain the memory of our heroes, disfiguring them in modern demagoguery, in order to disorient people. General Santander gave us the example of our ties to the rule of law. The truth, President Chavez, is that you cannot mock the law, as you are doing, trying to mistreat General Santander, in order to substitute law for personal whims.
The truth, President Chavez, and the witnessed truth, is that you cannot disorient people by misinterpreting the legacy of Bolivar, the liberator. The Liberator was an pro-integration, but not pro-expansion. The Liberator gave our nations independence, but did not bring them a new era of submission. The Liberator did not go around trying to chase European domination from the American territory, in order to impose, as you wish to do, your very own designs, based on the power of your wealth, to the people of Venezuela and the people of Colombia.
The truth, President Chavez, is that the people of Colombia have every right to derail terrorism, have every right to accept mediation, but not those that that seek political protagonism, and the political engendering of terrorism.
I am very worried that you, buoyed by electoral pretensions, are trying to use the old trick of stimulating hate of Colombia in Venezuela, and against the government of Colombia, in order to gain electoral favors.
The truth, President Chavez, is that my government's precedence is showing that in our difficult fight against terrorism, we have been respectful of all the world's nations and governments.
I am calling for reflection, to the conscience of the people of Venezuela in order to examine this subject. While a government is not capable to condemn FARC, if it unjustly condemns the Colombian government, and the contradiction is that the Colombian government, faced with terrorists, never lacked respect for Venezuela's government, nor for the people of Venezuela.
The truth, President Chavez, is that yesterday's communique is backed by our precedence, by our actions and has witnesses. The truth, President Chavez, is that every moment brings new data. Our U.S. Consulate representative, that accompanied Senator Cordoba to a meeting with one of the FARC prisoners, who is in jail in the U.S. for drug trafficking, informed us that Senator Cordoba spoke with the prisoner about FARC's policies, and that's fine. {She spoke }..about the possibility of a constituency in Colombia, and that's fine. All of this is respectable, and thus we don't agree. But the Senator also spoke of the need for a transitional government in Colombia.
The truth, President Chavez, is that this does not give Colombians the right to interpret that during mediation, to which you invited Senator Cordoba, in agreement with the Senator's attitudes and with these comments, this mediation was more interested in facilitating a government with terrorist influence in Colombia, rather than trying to help us overcome the tragedy of those who are captive, and achieve peace.
From Calamar, this region of the motherland, that today has been so stricken by floods, I say to the world that we are asking for and are receiving help, but we do not accept expansionist projects. From Calamar, this region stricken today by floods, I am telling the world that there is poverty here, limitations here, but there is dignity.
Money can be gotten every day, though in some countries, it might be more scarce than in others. But dignity, the respect for social beings, the respect for individual liberties, - when these values are lost, it is difficult to get them back.
We will continue making every effort to derail terrorism, in order to get our hostages, but we will not allow that our tragedy be abused in order to approve terrorism. We will not allow that our tragedy be taken advantage of in order to come to Colombia to introduce an expansionist project that, little by little, will deny rights that this Continent has succeeded in establishing with so much difficulty. '
The Presidency.
Comments
Excelente respuesta del presidente Colombiano al satrapa de Miraflores que habla y resuelve como si el representara el verdadero sentir Venezolano que no es mas que e de fraternidad hacia colombia y no de esas bravuconadas de malandro de barrio que hacen pasar pena ajena a cuanto con nacional se encuentra en el exterior y ve las mofas y burlas que se hacen del desprestigiado y absurdo narcoextremisneocomunista de Hugo Chavez...Por el bien de toda America...desesmascarenlo y Callenlo de una vez por todas y para siempre.
Speak english please, since this is an english website with english speaking readers. your comment was wasted on us. if we spoke spanish we wouldn't be here reading the translated version of this pwnage.
You're an idiot, ehehm. At the very least you could translate it on Google. But then again you're probably a proud aMurikin eating his freedom fries and driving his SUV. Get real you idiot.
EHEHM IS AN IDIOT:
C'mon Man, Ehehm had a valid point. It's not like he insulted the guy for posting in spanish. And this is not a Spanish language site. Why make it into an issue about where Ehehm is from? YOU sound like you've got a little chip on that shoulder...
I agree with ehehm, I am a Colombian born and raised but living in the U.S. When you go into insults about being "an aMurikin eating his freedom fries and driving his SUV" it just shows YOUR ignorance. I left Colombia to make a better future and a better life for myself and my family. The U.S. has offered this opportunity to me and I am grateful from the bottom of my heart. So many people show hate for "Tio Sam". Go down to the U.S. Embassy in Bogota and see the looks of the people who depart with a VISA and the looks of the people who are denied a VISA. Those faces speak volumes of the reality of our beautiful country. Thank you to Ms. Klingman for translating this beautiful speech for English speaking people. You say go translate it in google? Excellent source to translate word for word....not!
Lobster and Ehehm AND Ehehm is an idiot -
Relevancy to the article? None? Then how about not posting next time? You embarass us all with this trite bickering.
Concuerdo. Thank you.
Thank you for translating this speech. It makes me proud to be a part of the Americas. I am a Californian born and bred, but have always had respect for our sister countries in this hemisphere and their eloquence when stating the obvious. :)
Thanks again.
try literatureisnotdead.com/?p=81
I like aMurikins. Seem like a mostly good group of folks, in spite of the current neocommunist obamanicons running the pais.
GringoColombiano, your sentiments are beautiful and so rarely heard. I think it's one all immigrants experience, but that people who are born in the U.S. find embarrassing. I would take one person with your attitude over a thousand sunshine patriots who run around apologizing for the U.S. without ever setting foot in other countries they've never visited.
As for posting in Spanish, I think in this case it's understandable someone would want to express themselves in the native tongue, although in general, when I'm asked if I speak Spanish -- and it's limited to high school -- and get a grimace when I say no, I am sometimes tempted to ask, "Do you speak Greek?" But that was not the sort of sentiment here.
After reading such an eloquent and honest speech, I was anxious to scroll down to see the comments. Alas, all I read was bickering about the language of one of the comments.
Why don't you people go post on myspace or something more your speed. This was a magnificent, brave, and hard-hitting speech delivered flawlessly. The least you could do is show some intelligence and discuss it, either for or against.
The passion and eloquence of this makes my breath catch...
An eloquent and articulate speech. A politician who speaks about truth and dignity with apparent sincerity is a rarity--one can only hope that this trend becomes more popular.
Chavez is an idiot and a thief. He has ruined a wonderful country.
This blows me away. Why cant we have someone in the whitehouse with this kind of backbone?
I don't know. Sounds to me like Uribe is fighting for his life.
The speech is from 2007, guys. It's still cool... but outdated.
Yes, this speech is outdated. But the amazing thing is that it could be delivered today with the same relevance. Or even more relevance.
Now Chavez is threatening Colombia with War. Yes. War among Countries with so much in common that are usually refereed to as brother countries. He still condones FARC as revolutionaries instead of drug-funded terrorists. Just because Colombia wants to fight terrorism and drug traffic with help from the US. Chavez is threatening that if we dont cease our collaboration with the US "a war is likely to start". Chavez has spent millions of his Oil - dollars to buy war planes, tanks and ammunition (the same kind of ammunition FARC uses BTW).
So i know people in the US are more worried now with health care and other relevant issues. But if you have time, help raise awareness of this megalomaniac communist that runs Venezuela now, so this "war" will hopefully never start. Thanks
Amazing, men like Uribe are hard to find. It is even harder to find in politics. ProudColumbian, you have a friend in me. We have dishonored ourselves by not backing Columbia more forcefully. I would hope that if war does become a reality the U.S.A. will come to the aid of Columbia.
I think many of us are too young to remember that Communism is not like Democracy. It will not allow other non-Communist entities to peacefully live next door. The communist expansionism that happened in the 50's and 60's was proof. Vietnam, and Korea were both wars against that expansion, and it looks (unfortunately) like Latin America may become the next battleground.
Skembo
Chavez is the only honest man in this mess....
Go back and count your profits asshats.
It's a speech from 2008, but it's a good one. I don't really like Uribe, but I don't like Chávez either.
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