Colombia's new ambassador to Japan, Ricardo Gutierrez, on Tuesday urged the international community to support his government's efforts to achieve peace after 35 years of conflict with guerrillas.
During his visit to The Japan Times, Gutierrez, who assumed the post in March, said President Andres Pastrana is seriously seeking a political solution to the conflict in view that a military solution is impossible. He also remains firm about establishing an international observer committee to monitor the rebels' activities.
Peace talks by state and rebel negotiators have been deadlocked by a preliminary dispute over whether international monitors should have a role in the negotiations. Both sides met Friday for the first time since the talks collapsed July 17, but they failed to reach agreement on the specifics of a verification committee to monitor rebel activities in a demilitarized zone of the country.
The ambassador said the president's peace initiative has the support of the United States, which has sent 300 military personnel to serve as advisers to Colombia's police and army.
Gutierrez also said the Japanese government understands very well the Colombian government's handling of the conflict and stressed the importance of Japan's support for Colombia's work to improve infrastructure to help bring farmers' crops to major cities.
He said the two major guerrilla groups -- the 15,000-strong Marxist FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the 5,000-strong rival faction ELN -- are cooperating with the "hidden forces" of drug and arms traffickers and underworld groups who don't want peace.
He said the situation is very complex, as it has been going on for decades, and the guerrillas lack good, strong leaders.