Twenty-three members of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe
July 26, 2004

Dear Colombia Advocates,
Great news! Yesterday, twenty-three members of the U.S. Senate-- including Senators John Kerry and John Edwards-- sent a letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that expressed serious concerns about the human rights record of the Colombian military and the threats and attacks levied against union members and human rights workers. Members of Congress are asked to sign dozens of these types of letters each day; why would so many choose to sign this one? The answer is your hard work. The calls and letters that have been generated over the past few weeks helped educate, sway, and motivate our senators to speak out against human rights violations in Colombia and to back United Nations recommendations for change. We've helped send a strong message to the Colombian government and media, and backed up the voices of Colombians working for peace and justice. Thank you for your persistence and hard work!

Here's a quote from a front-page article that ran this morning in El Tiempo, Colombia's major daily newspaper:

"Through letters and chains of e-mails, [human rights groups in the US] supported hundreds of US citizens so that they, in turn, could send letters to their senators urging them to sign the letter to the Colombian president.

"The most significant aspect of the letter, aside from the obvious concern expressed by the senators, is that it is a window into the possible future of bilateral relations between the US and Colombia if the Kerry-Edwards ticket makes it to the presidency. Although both have supported the government of Colombia in Senate votes, it is clear that the issue of human rights figures prominently in their agenda."

For the rest of this article, in Spanish, please see

http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/poli/2004-07-28/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-1751232.html

Let's Use the Momentum! Many of the senators who signed the letter have never spoken out about Colombia before. We now have an excellent opportunity to engage them, thank them for signing, and ask them to do more. If your senator is on the list below, please give them a call and say thanks-- and let them know that you want to see them take a stronger stance against US military assistance to Colombia in the future. If your senator is not on the list, call and ask why. You can reach your senators by calling the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121, or find their address at http://www.senate.gov . You can read a copy of the letter by going to http://www.lawg.org/docs/ColombiaUribe.pdf ..


Signers to the Feingold-Dodd letter on Colombia:

Russ Feingold (WI) (deserves a special thanks for organizing the letter)
Chris Dodd (CT) (deserves a special thanks for organizing the letter)
Murray (WA)
Leahy (VT)
Durbin (IL)
Kennedy (MA)
Boxer (CA)
Kerry (MA)
Cantwell (WA)
Harkin (IA)
Jeffords (VT)
Bingaman (NM)
Mikulski (MD)
Lautenberg (NJ)
Kohl (WI)
Landrieu (LA)
Sarbanes (MD)
Levin (MI)
Reed (RI)
Feinstein (CA)
Corzine (NJ)
Dayton (IL)
Edwards (NC)

The Senate has not had a meaningful debate over Colombia policy since 2001. We can build on the momentum generated by this letter and demand that senators keep US military involvement in Colombia limited this year, and then vote to change the policy during the foreign aid bill debate next year.

Next Steps:
August is a great time to communicate with your senators and representatives over Colombia policy. They'll be back in their district or state offices for the August recess, and constituent meetings, media activities, vigils, and other efforts to raise awareness can happen throughout the month. These types of activities are particularly important right now, because the House-Senate conference committee will probably meet in September to hammer out the final version of the 2005 defense authorization bill. Members of this conference committee will determine how many US troops and US military contractors will be allowed in Colombia.

Activists working on the upcoming elections also have an opportunity during this time to communicate with Senators Kerry and Edwards and help them establish a responsible platform on Colombia.

You'll be receiving another message next week with ideas for August activities and more information on pressuring the conference committee members to limit US military presence in Colombia. Please keep an eye out for that message! In the meantime, let's use this moment to push the Senate in the right direction. You can reach your senator's office through the congressional switchboard, 202-224-3121, or find his or her address at http://www.senate.gov . Together, we will demand that Congress support a US policy toward Colombia that reflects our values of peace, justice, sustainable development, and respect for human rights.

Thanks again for all of your efforts.

Best,
Elanor

--

Elanor Starmer
Associate for Colombia and Central America
Latin America Working Group
estarmer@lawg.org
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Latin America Working Group
Action at home for just policies abroad www.lawg.org
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