Colombia, a Positive Country
Prepared by:
Affairs Coordinator
Internal and External Communications
Ministry of Foreign Relations
ON THE FRONT PAGE
• FTA RECESSED
UNTIL JANUARY 2006: the Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism, Jorge Humberto
Botero, announced that
the negotiations to define a Free Trade Agreement between Colombia
and the United States will be renewed as of January 15, 2006.
So far, 12 tables have been concluded in the negotiation, and
there are 9 more to be concluded. The tables have been working
by means of e-mail, teleconferences, and videoconferences. According
to Minister Botero, the FTA negotiation with the United States
will next exchange comprehensive proposals in the areas of agriculture
and livestock.
• EXPLORATORY
DIALOGUE WITH THE ELN PRODUCING FRUIT: upon
the conclusion of the first stage of an exploratory dialogue
between the government and the National Liberation Army, in Havana,
Cuba, from December 16 to 21, 2005, the following agreements
were reached: there is interest in a process with the central
goal of national peace; the main beneficiary of that process
will be the Colombian people; and a recess will be declared in
this exploratory phase, to begin a new round of conversations
at the end of January 2006 in the city of Havana, Cuba. Both
the government, represented by the High Commissioner of Peace,
Luis Carlos Restrepo, and the ELN, represented by Antonio García,
acknowledged and expressed gratitude for the accompaniment of
the governments of Spain, Norway, and Switzerland.
SOCIAL INVESTMENT
• DONATIONS
OF COMPUTERS BENEFIT STUDENTS: the program, “Computers
for Educating” reported that 371,185 students in public
schools in the country have benefited in 2005 from the donation
of 15,948 refurbished computers. In addition, 202 university
students, community leaders, and professionals have become involved
to provide training and educational accompaniment to the benefiting
institutions. Donations were made to 952 municipalities in the
33 Departments covered by the program.
• SENA TRAINS
DEMOBILIZED PERSONS: since the national
government created the demobilization program, the National Learning
Service, SENA for its initials in Spanish, has trained close
to 10,400 people across the country who previously belonged to
illegal armed groups. The Director of SENA, Darío Montoya
Mejía, stated that the beneficiaries have participated
in all the courses offered, including superior education courses.
He also said that providing training for this population is a
priority for that institution. SENA’s goal for the training
is to provide the demobilized population with tools that will
allow them to enter the labor market and to generate resources
both for themselves and their families.
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND GENERATION OF EMPLOYMENT
• COLOMBIAN
ECONOMY GREW: The Colombian
economy recorded growth of 5.75% in the third semester of this
year. The accumulated
percentage for growth from January to September is 5.1%, and
once the Bank of the Republic makes the planned adjustments for
measuring Gross Domestic Product, the final results for 2005
will be announced.
• ISA EARNINGS GREW 30%: as of November this year, Interconexión
Eléctrica S.A.’s net earnings were $171,408 million,
which represents an increase of 30% with respect to the year
before. The budget set by the company for 2005 projected earnings
of $171,167 million, which means that the goal was surpassed
by $241 million. ISA explained that the results were based on
good performance in operations and finances this year.
• GOVERNMENT AND ALPINA JOIN
TOGETHER IN FAVOR OF JUDICIAL STABILITY: before the end of 2005, the
national government will
sign the first contract for judicial stability in the country
with the company Alpina, after a law is approved in Congress
to regulate this type of agreement. The contract will be in force
for 10 years, during which time the Nation will promise to maintain
a stable judicial framework for certain norms requested by the
company, that have to do with income tax, and other complementary
aspects. This agreement will allow Alpina to develop an industrial
expansion plan valued at US $25 million.
DEMOCRATIC SECURITY
• KIDNAPPINGS WENT DOWN IN 2005: the 51% reduction in
kidnapping cases for extortion is the result of the national
government’s anti-kidnapping policy during 2005. Thus revealed
the Program Against Extortion and Kidnapping, under the Office
of the Vice President of the Republic. According to the Program,
the number of cases of kidnapping for extortion went from 698
cases as of November 30, 2004, to 339 for the same period in
2005. The most-affected Departments were Antioquia, with a total
of 48 cases, followed by Valle (36), Meta (27), Bolívar,
Cauca, and Nariño, with 24 each, and Caquetá (19).
• DISPLACED INDIGENOUS PERSONS
RETURN TO THEIR TERRITORIES: A year after abandoning the region of Alto Andagra, on the border
of the Departments of Risaralda and Chocó, 157 indigenous
persons belonging to the ethnic groups Embera Chamí and
Embera Katío voluntarily returned to their towns. The
National System for Integral Attention to the Displaced Population
(SNAIPD), under the coordination of the Presidential Agency for
Social Action, was in charge of providing attention, food, health
services, lodging, and psychological and Social attention for
as long as the indigenous people remained in Bogotá and
Soacha. It was also in charge of supporting the return operation
for the members of the ethnic groups.
STATE EFFICIENCY AND TRANSPARENCY
• MILLIONS COLLECTED IN TAXES: the National Department of Taxes and Customs indicated that
from January to November
of 2005, 40.6 trillion pesos were collected, when in the same
period of last year $35.4 trillion pesos were collected, which
demonstrates that the goal of $38.7 trillion set by the government
was surpassed, and that tax collections grew by 14.7% with respect
to the same period in 2004. As far as internal taxes, growth
was 13.7%, and the growth in external taxes was 19.7%.
• PRICE OF MEDICINES TO BE REGULATED: starting in July 2006 a new model for price regulation will
be applied in Colombia
for medicines on the market. This decision was made by the National
Commission for Medicine Prices, and its goal is to protect the
consumer, in addition to controlling possible abuses of market
control by medicine producers, importers, and distributors. The
products will be identified by a Sole National Code to be established
by the Ministry of Social Protection.
(FIN/JHINA/CIE)
December 23, 2005
