Senator: 'Uribe is Permanently Attacking Peace in Colombia'

Colombian Senator Ivan Cepeda accused his right-wing counterpart Alvaro Uribe, a fierce critic of the talks launched by the Colombian government with the FARC guerrillas, of posing a serious threat to peace.

“What we have seen from former President Uribe is an attitude of confrontation, of permanent attack against peace in Colombia,” said Cepeda. His comments came amid efforts by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to meet with Uribe, who is now the opposition leader.

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Ivan Cepeda believes the border conflict between Colombia and Venezuela should not be used for political gain | Photo: teleSUR

Speaking to teleSUR on Tuesday, Cepeda explained that the peace process will open more political liberties, allowing left-leaning movements and parties to have a voice in a country were the left has long been repressed.

“(These left-wing) sectors have been historically criminalized, exterminated,” he noted.

Commenting on the recent border tensions between Venezuela and Colombia, Cepeda blasted the Democratic Center party – led by Uribe – for using the conflict as part of its electoral campaign. Uribe has compared the deportation of Colombians from border areas to the Holocaust.

“As Hitler against the Jews, the Dictatorship (of) Maduro is breeding hatred against Colombians to justify their torture," the former president tweeted.

Cepeda argued that such language is dangerous, encouraging public hatred among, and declared that it is irresponsible to exploit the crisis for politics. The Democratic Center candidate for Bogota, Francisco Santos – former editor in chief of El Tiempo newspaper – has used the border issue as one of the main focuses of his campaign.

“The worst thing one could do is to use such a delicate issue as the border conflict for electoral gains," said Cepada. "That is highly opportunistic and it could be very harmful for both Colombia and Venezuela," he continued, arguing it threatens chances for reconciliation.

“We are entering a moment of dialogue thanks to the mediation of Ecuador and Uruguay ... the conflict should not be used for instigating nationalism and chauvinism, because these are feelings that can hardly be controlled," he said. "There are sectors on both sides of the border that are trying to push forward animosity and that could lead to an armed conflict between both countries."

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The senator admitted that paramilitarism continues to be an issue in his country, despite receiving little press coverage. “It is necessary to end paramilitarism,” Cepeda said, saying the issue must be dealt with for any peace agreement to succeed.

As for the negotiations with the FARC, the Colombian senator explained that the next step in the peace process taking place in Havana should be to incorporate the National Liberation Army (ELN), the second largest guerrilla group in the country, which continues to fight the government.