Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Colombia is at a crossroads. The peace talks were supposed to start today, but we are now told it will be tomorrow. I thought the Minister might take this question with Question No. 42, which refers to the Patriotic March, involving elements of Colombian society coming together on this issue. I recently met with groups from the region and their concern is that with these key elements coming together for the peace talks they are worried about the signal that will be sent if somebody is injured or killed as a result of the cut in that allowance. The Minister referred to the increase in the number of people under this protection programme. However, that is also a result of the talks.

There is tension within Colombian society about these talks. Those who speak out against the Columbian Government, be it a supreme court judge, a human rights activist or a trade unionist, are labelled as supporters of the guerillas, and that in itself puts one in a situation. Any section of society that is vocal on human rights issues is usually labelled that way. I am worried about the impact this cut might have on the historic talks due to be initiated tomorrow. My concern is the signal it will send. Perhaps Ireland, through its ambassador, would wish the participants in the talks well. It is also important, due to the sensitivity of the talks and the pressure as a result, that nobody should use the talks as an excuse to attack those people who are protected under this system.

See this speech in context