(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

In observance of the public hearing summoned by political sectors on July 22^nd 2010 in the municipality of La Macarena, the Colombian Government hereby declares that: 

1. Wherever democratic authority and security have been threatened, the intent of the Democratic Consolidation Policy has been no other than to protect the rights and freedom of all citizens and to guarantee institutional presence.
2. National Government has undertaken to provide every guarantee for the execution of the summoned audit, in spite of the fact that its organizers have denied the possibility to deliberate, which manifests itself by the Executive's lack of ability to express itself regarding the statements and testimonials to be rendered there.
3. The inhabitants of the Macarena region suffered for many years, but especially during the time of the Distension Zone from 1988 to 2002, from the arbitrary control of FARC over their lives and freedom, and the arbitrary imposition of the coca crops to fund terrorism. La Macarena is one of the country’s most successful experiences in matters of consolidation, the reason why security provided by the Public Forces guarantees that the State can make legal order prevail and that every institution operates freely and permanently, allowing citizens to fully exercise their rights. 
4. In development of the Macarena Consolidation Plan, the Colombian State has invested resources in six townships surpassing the amount of US$ 200 million. This budgetary effort, which has relied on the commitment of several allied countries, the Provincial Government of Meta, the social sectors, corporate and academic groups, has enabled the development of road projects; rural energy projects; rural aqueduct and sewer; social and institutional infrastructure; projects to support communities with equipment and the improvement of the school infrastructure, health and recreation; productive projects for the generation of income and employment for 5,807 families.
5. This is a region in the country that has achieved the largest reduction of illegal crop surface area in the past years. In the year 2008, the reduction of the surface area of illegal crops was 63% in the six municipalities under the Consolidation Plan and 71% in the air fumigation exclusion area, where the Plan eradication strategy is under way. According to the 2010 coca crop monitoring report by the United Nations Office against Drugs and Crime (UNODC), for the territory covering the six municipalities under the Consolidation Plan, in 2009 there was an additional reduction by 31% of the coca-planted surface area, moving from 2,697 hectares in 2008 to 1,848 hectares in 2009.

With regard to the alleged "existence of a common grave in the Macarena municipality Cemetery," Colombian Government wishes to clarify that:

1. The Justice and Peace Unit of the office of the Nation's Attorney General, with technical support provided by a sub unit specializing in exhumations, established a data recollection mission destined to compiling all information regarding this announcement which was made public by certain non-government organizations.
2. In accordance with the preliminary report by the Technical Investigations Body of the office of the Nation's Attorney General number 517 752 and the information provided by the investigative body, the following has been established:
   • That no signs of earth removal have been observed, nor has any other sign of the existence of a common grave.
   • That the Macarena municipality Cemetery only contains individual tombs that were excavated at different times, which were separated from one another by a distance of at least one meter. These circumstances were verified by officers from the accredited diplomatic body in Colombia who visited this Township.
   • In every case there is appropriate documentation on the circumstances of any inhumation to enable the identification of the remains lying there.
   • Since 2004, said the processes have been carried out by the Technical Investigation Body of the Attorney General’s office or the Judicial Police (SIJIN), under every standard specified by Colombian law.
   • That it has managed to establish that tens of people who have been buried there never had an identification document.
   • That several of these buried remains have been identified, and that at least three cases matched people who were reported as disappeared. Upon returning the remains to their families, they stated that their disappearance was denounced after having been forcibly recruited by FARC.
   • That the investigative process is advancing according to the established methodological Plan, providing all the stakeholders with the guarantees needed to denounce any irregularity.
3. Considering the special interest arising around this announcement, the Colombian Government has adopted special measures amongst which we have to highlight an inter-institutional group made up of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the office of the Attorney General of the Nation, the office of the Prosecutor General of the Nation, the Presidential Program for Human Rights, the Presidential Agency for Social Action and International Cooperation, and the Ministry of Defense, to coordinate actions aiming to clarify these denouncements as soon as possible.

<>4.The office of the Attorney General of the Nation, an independent and autonomous institution of the executive power, will continue to investigate and thus rely on the full cooperation provided by the Colombian Government.