Colombia: exchange of letters

Exchange of letters on Colombia

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber and

Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells

The following exchange of letters over Colombia between the TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber and the Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells was reported to the TUC Executive Committee in April.

Letter from Brendan Barber to Kim Howells

Dear Kim

I was deeply concerned, as David Miliband will probably have mentioned to you, about the photograph that was posted on the FCO website (since removed, I understand) showing you together with members of the Colombian High Mountains Brigade on a recent visit. As you will know from your recent meeting with the delegation of Colombian trade unionists who visited the UK at the invitation of the FCO, there is substantial evidence to implement the Brigade in attacks on trade unionists, counter-narcotics police and others.

However, I have now had drawn to my attention a report that, last week, you said that Justice for Colombia (JFC), an organisation of which I am President, and Frances O'Grady and Tony Lloyd MP are Vice-Presidents, supports the FARC.

I understand that these comments are unconfirmed, but I am sure you will nonetheless understand how worrying these reported comments are, and the possible consequences of them both for all those trade unionists and MPs involved with JFC, and for those trade unionists and others in Colombia who are also associated with JFC, through the TUC or through projects supported by the JFC. I am particularly concerned about the safety of participants in future JFC delegations to Colombia.

On the substance of the allegation, I can of course assure you that it is false, and I rather doubt that leading Colombian politicians such as President Uribe and Vice-President Santos would have met with JFC delegations if the allegations were true.

However, now that the allegation has been reported, it clearly needs to be addressed. I would be grateful if you could let me have your views on how the damage done can be repaired and the people affected protected. A clear public statement to President Uribe that the British Government does not hold the view ascribed in the press to you would be a useful start.

Yours sincerely

BRENDAN BARBER

General Secretary

Letter from Kim Howells to Brendan Barber

Dear Brendan

Thank you for your letter of 18th March. I welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns regarding recent media coverage of my visit to Colombia and to our bi-lateral policy with that country.

Regarding your comments on the picture heavily featured in the Guardian and elsewhere in the past few weeks. The visit to the unit concerned was just one of a range of activities I undertook on my visit to Colombia in November. Beforehand I had meetings with Colombian Trade Unionists and other members of Colombian civil society to discuss what I agree is an extremely difficult human rights situation.

It is important that we engage with a democratically elected government, including its Armed Forces, if we are to influence positive change. On my last visit to Colombia, I expressed to their Defence Minister and others the absolute necessity of all Government staff operating to the highest human rights standards. I made clear that any extra-judicial killings are completely unacceptable. We demanded that those who commit these abuses should be brought to justice. The Foreign Secretary made similar comments to the Colombian Vice President earlier this month.

Drawing on UK experience and advice, the Colombian Ministry of Defence has just issued a detailed handbook for the Army and Police on human rights and International Humanitarian Law. The Colombian Defence Minister recently told me that his staff scrupulously observing human rights principles was now his number one priority along with offering protection for human rights workers, journalists and trade unionists. The momentum is positive, but we should maintain the pressure, and help with the essential training.

The units that I was pictured with showed me examples of the important work they were engaged in to clear the landmines used in Colombia by illegal groups to maim and kill. The Colombians have received training from us in how to eradicate landmines and their appalling legacy, and this work has been positively endorsed by the UN and others. This humanitarian work will remain a priority for us. I used the opportunity of my visit with the Colombian defence minister to re-emphasise the importance of respect for human rights, including to the officers and soldiers that I met.

The term 'military aid' is misleading and not representative of what the UK does in Colombia. We do not offer the Colombian Government unconditional blank cheques or caches of military equipment. Our work with the Colombian Government, including with the Ministry of Defence, is specifically aimed at countering the threat of cocaine to the UK, and at helping improve the human rights situation.

The UK has been playing a key role in institutionalising real respect for human rights in the Colombian armed forces, thereby helping them to operate by the same high standards we demand of our own armed forces. We have no evidence that anyone we have trained has been involved in human rights abuses, and have consistently pointed out that we would immediately investigate if any evidence of such cases came to light.

Our counter-narcotics work is tightly focussed on helping the Colombians tackle drugs production and trafficking organisations and networks, often at the highest levels. We seek to help the Colombians to capture top drugs traffickers, to disrupt their networks and reduce the profits of drug smuggling by seizing the proceeds of crime and interdicting supplies of cocaine.

We do not, as you know, divulge details of the capabilities that we provide to our Colombian partners because to do so would play into the hands of ruthless and powerful drugs-trafficking cartels. But I can assure you that we scrupulously supervise the use of British resources to ensure that the highest operational, ethical and human rights standards are maintained by the people we are working with. We do not provide the Colombians with military training in counter-insurgency operations. And the only training we have provided to individuals in the High Mountain Battalions has been the human rights training described above.

I have been impressed that your colleagues have been able to work so effectively with our officials to take forward important work recently, including on the visit of the Colombian Trade Unionists that we met separately. It is my fervent hope that we can continue to work constructively with the TUC and its affiliates including on how HMG can offer its practical and political support to the trade union movement in Colombia. I feel this is best done from a position of mutual respect and understanding for each other's position, even if there are disagreements.

I therefore regret that my comments to the Western Mail last week have been interpreted as they have. I do not believe that Justice for Colombia or British Trade Unions supports the FARC. As I set out in my article in the Western Mail today I want to work closely with all organisations who are working to further peace and prosperity in Colombia. I do understand the very difficult environment that Trade Unionists in Colombia are operating in and would not want to jeopardise that work or their security.

I will make clear to my counterparts in the Colombian government and to the new Colombian ambassador to the UK that I do not draw any links between Justice for Colombia and the FARC and that I intend to continue to work closely with British Trade Unions and their affiliated bodies to uphold the rights and security of trade unionists in Colombia.

I hope our future discussions on Colombia can be based on what we can do constructively in that country, working together. I would be happy to meet with you to discuss further how we might go about this.

KIM HOWELLS