OAS to Monitor Paramilitary Disarming
The Organization of American States has agreed to monitor the disarmament of Colombia’s paramilitary forces, lending significant international support to a peace process that has proved highly divisive at home.
OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria, a former Colombian president, agreed in weekend talks with President Alvaro Uribe to send representatives to Bogota to verify a paramilitary cease-fire and help disarm the outlawed United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia.
The group was organized by rich cattlemen and drug traffickers to combat Marxist rebels but is accused of killing civilians and collaborating with sectors of the military.
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