COLOMBIA, A POSITIVE COUNTRY

Prepared by:
Coordination of Internal and External
Communication Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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• COLOMBIA 2019, COMMITMENT FOR THE COUNTRY WE WANT: the National Government presented the document Vision Colombia II Centennial: 2019, an ambitious proposal whose purpose is to construct a vision of country in the long-term to commemorate, in 14 years, the bicentennial of independent political life. The document for discussion, created by National Planning, in agreement with the ministries and government agencies, proposes strategies by sectors, in which, in addition to a brief diagnosis, suggests specific goals and actions to achieve them. In addition, the population growth projections and the changes in its structure were taken into account, along with the projections of future needs for resources for each strategy and the general, fiscal, balance of payment and financial restrictions. In short, the plan 2019 is meant to achieve the development of four great objectives that will guarantee the realization of concrete socioeconomic goals in the country.

• OMC BOARD RULES IN FAVOR OF COLOMBIAN BANANAS: in a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO), Latin American countries won the banana showdown against the European Union. After three months of study, the WTO Court of Arbitration determined that the 230 Euro tariff per ton of bananas proposed by the European Union for the Latin American fruit would not allow real access to said market. After considering the arguments put forth by the Latin American producer countries (led by Colombia), the arbitrators took into account an error in the calculation of the formula that determined the tariff of 230 Euros and the exclusion of the Caribbean and African countries in the measure.

SOCIAL EQUALITY

• MORE COLOMBIANS WITH LOANS FROM ICETEX: a total of 117,559 Colombians will be granted loans offered by the Colombian Institute of Educational Loans and Technical Studies Abroad (Instituto Colombiano de Crédito Educativo y Estudios Técnicos en el Exterior - Icetex) through its different lines of credit. Thanks to the more and more efficient, reliable and transparent processes, the entity’s resources are reaching the entire population, especially the most vulnerable, thus materializing the dream of the Educational Revolution. The student loans aimed at people with scarce economic resources and academic merit, is the most powerful tool of inclusion and social mobility, responsible solidarity and faith in the future of the country.

SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GENERATION OF EMPLOYMENT

• STOCK MARKET LAW STRENGTHENS CONFIDENCE IN COLOMBIA: the stock market law only just sanctioned by President Alvaro Uribe Velez as Law 964 / 2005 builds the confidence of entrepreneurs, investors and the people in Colombia and its economy. There is now more, better quality investment in sectors with broad competitive possibilities. The law is essentially related to the recovery of confidence in the private sector, in institutionality and in the economy of our country.

• 29.7% INCREASE IN IMPORTS IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2005: imports increased by 29.7% in the first half of 2005, in comparison with the same period of 2004. The information provided by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) as well as the National Tax and Customs Department (DIAN), indicates that purchases went from 7.68 to 9.97 million dollars. One of the items that increased the most was capital assets for the industry, which increased by 51.8%. The purchase of electrical devices and materials for recording or images grew 68.3%. 29.5% of the Colombian imports came from the United States, where aircrafts, corn and halogenated hydrocarbon by-products were purchased. The purchases of goods from the industrial sector reported an increase of 33.3%.

• INFLATION ROSE 0.05% IN JULY: the inflation rate reported an increase of 0.05% in the month of July, while it had dropped 0.03% during the same month in 2004. The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) said that during the first seven months of this year, the cost of living reached 3.93%, the lowest rate in 43 years. During the first seven months of 2004, it had reached 4.56; and 4.86% in the same period of 2003, and 4.82% in 2002.

• THE ROAD TRIP PLANS KNOWN AS EXPERIENCE COLOMBIA, TRAVEL THROUGH IT ARE NOW READY: The Eastern Plains, the Coffee-growing Region and the Province of Boyacá will be the first destinations of the road trip plans known as “Experience Colombia, Travel through It”. The next holiday weekend from August 13 through 15, the Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Trade and the private firms that support the program defined, as something new, road trip plans to these three destinations. The routes go to and from Bogotá and Villavicencio; Bogotá and Boyacá; and Bogotá and the Coffee-growing Region or Cali and the Coffee-growing Region, which will be reached on modern buses including the expenses of transportation, food, lodging, guides and admissions. For further information regarding the plans, interested parties may call the following telephone numbers: 018000112473 or 018000116661.

• MOBILE TELEPHONY HAS REACHED 15.5 MILLION USERS: the Ministry of Communications has revealed that the number of users of mobile telephony in the country has reached 15.5 million between April and June this year. According to the report, the total number of subscribers of Comcel is 9,174,469, Telefónica Móvil has 4,756,506 and Colombia Móvil has 1,650,414 users. During the second quarter of 2005, the three operators activated 4,025,896 users.

STATE EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY

• NAVY WILL MAKE SAILBOATS FOR FISHERMEN: the President of the Republic, Alvaro Uribe Velez asked the National Navy and the Ministry of Agriculture to come up with a pilot plan to equip the fishermen of the Pacific seaboard with sailboats. “The big idea that has come up today is to conduct a test with Cotecmar (Corporation of Science and Technology for the Development of the Sea and River Development) and the Navy, to make sailboats for the fishermen here”, said the Leader. He said the idea is for the Navy to design vessels for the inhabitants of the Pacific region to carry out their work properly.

DEMOCRATIC SECURITY

• THE U.S. HAS CERTIFIED THE MILITARY FORCES IN HUMAN RIGHTS: The U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, has issued the Human Rights certification for the Military Forces of Colombia, based on which US $62 million will be disbursed for the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism. The monies are a part of the appropriations corresponding to the fiscal years 2004 and 2005 of the Plan Colombia.

(FIN/HEME/CIE)
August 5, 2005