Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC briefing on the situation in Colombia
We welcome Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Álvaro Leyva, to this meeting.
We thank Head of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, for his assessments. We also thank Mr. Ivan Šimonović for his briefing as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission. Surely, it was very useful for all UNSC members to listen to the views of a key peace process participant, member of the leadership of ex-FARC and President of the Comunes Party, Mr. Rodrigo Londoño, who briefed the Council for the first time today.
The peacebuilding process in Colombia is developing dynamically. We note Bogota’s efforts to implement the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) in a comprehensive manner. We also see progress with the crop reform and the ethnic chapter of the peace accord, which the Verification Mission was recently mandated to monitor, as well as progress of reintegration of former rebels. At the same time, provision of security guarantees to former combatants remains a key problem.
Without any doubt, the renewal of the mandate of the Commission to Monitor, Promote, and Verify the FPA Implementation that took place recently, as well as the upcoming first sentences by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, the enforcement of which the UN will also monitor, will promote implementation of the peace agreements.
Despite peaceful aspirations of the Colombian authorities and society, the level of violence in the country would not go down. At the same time, its vector is shifting from a confrontation of the state and illegal armed formations to armed clashes among the armed groups who struggle for control over territories and drug trafficking routes.
Apart from implementing the Final Peace Agreement per se, the government of Colombia, as well as the global community remain focused on a dialogue with other armed groups, National Liberation Army in the first place. We do hope that the authorities and the rebels will make an agreement (including with regard to a ceasefire) soon, during the next round of talks in Cuba.
We understand Bogota’s desire to consolidate the emerging progress in the dialogue with the armed groups through the verification of possible agreements by the UNVMC. We expect that the Secretary-General will present to the Council his thorough proposals on possible ways to engage the UN for this purpose. All interested Colombian parties should be able to participate in the discussion of this initiative, given the difficult state of affairs at the peacebuilding track.
Eventual extension of the UNVMC mandate will give rise to many extra questions that will need to be addressed. Besides, it is important not only to verify the bilateral ceasefire between the governmental forces and illegal armed formations, but also disengage the groups confronting each other on the ground, so as to rule out any clashes, especially in the territories with no state presence or where state control is ineffective. This dictates the need for all armed formations involved in bilateral ceasefires to recognize the control powers of the Verification Mission and adopt an obligation to not open fire against each other. We are convinced that the issue of UN contacts with clearly criminal groups who engage in drug trafficking needs to be considered on a separate and very thorough note, taking into account possible implications for the authority of the Mission.
We underscore that the current multi-vector dialogue should proceed from the 2016 Final Peace Agreement and never be detrimental to its implementation. Only full-fledged implementation of the FPA can win the trust of the new participants of the peace process.
A number of incidents of the past month, including suspension of the ceasefire for ‘Clan del Golfo’ and assassination of 9 Colombian officers by NLA, demonstrates that comprehensive reconciliation cannot be established overnight. It is positive that the current Colombian authorities realize the complexity of the outstanding tasks and are ready to work thoroughly despite the existing problems.
As a Permanent Member of the Security Council, Russia will keep providing comprehensive support for the Colombian peace process and the UN Verification Mission in Colombia under the lead of SRSG Massieu.
Thank you.
