eel fed up with these numbers this morning. we have improved, but we need to improve much more. we accept august we have made and we of -- we accept the progress that we have made and we accept that we need to do much more. i want to explain some non tangible resources that we have got in our policy of democratic security. we have recovered two monopolies. the state should have never lost. we have recovered that we need to fight criminals.

the paramilitary organization, the war military were chosen in colombia to make private and criminal guns, establish to fight guerrillas. today, we have criminals dedicated to narcotrafficking and we have margo guerillas, guerillas in narcotrafficking. and some money of the country, they are together. they share the profits of narcotrafficking, another alias. ayn varied mafioso relationship.

when they are friends or their enemies, they have mafioso relationship. they find, because they want to operate the profits of narcotrafficking in friendly mafioso agreements. but, what is important to highlight this morning is that of our government or the state, the monopoly to fight criminals. second, we have recovered the state monopoly. during many years, in many areas of the country, the justice administration, the justice administration is totally independent in colombia from the executive branch. the justice administration has been displaced or replaced.

in many areas of the country, their general prosecutors, there are judges that had been replaced by terrorist quarrelous, terrorist ringleaders of these organizations, who tried to exercise illegal justice, who usurp the right of our democratic justice administration. colombia house recover this monopoly. prior to this policing, colombians were afraid to propose. today columbians have recovered confidence to denounce. columbians today have many more

prior to this administration. it has been very important. my government is open and receptive. quite often the minister of defense, the high command and the police in the military and i as president, quite often we go to receive questions, claims in plame's from the people regarding the behavior of our soldiers and policemen in human rights. we do our best to clarify, to make clear every case. i consider this is a very unique case in the world, and i want to

share these experiences with you. columbians have recovered confidence. i remember that, there was a growing trend for fellow citizens who were looking to provide themselves with security by their own means. today, colombians are more likely to resort to the institutions in looking for the provision of security. we have advanced in that regard. prior to this policy, victims did not bring their claims

because they were afraid. today, we have more than 220,000 victims it left some to the registration office and are waiting for preparation. we have a dance in the process in the middle of this fiscal constraints, my government is going to spend $100 million to begin the process to-- the victims. this is what i call the monetary component of reparations. i understand that it is impossible to give complete

preparation, but i understand that any effort to help victims is a step in the right direction to prevent our people from-- to create social conditions for total reconciliation in our country. many countries in latin america challenge insecurity, adopted marshall legislation to confront this problem. colombia has faced the most dangerous challenge, because our terrorist groups have been bearing well, giving that they

are the owners of the narcotrafficking businesses. they are the economists. they do not need funds from the international community. our government has confronted this challenge with ordinary legislation. with all the respect to political rights, to civil rights, to governmental rights in our constitution. we have not imposed martial legislation to confront this challenge. we have not suppressed. we have not suspended freedoms.

many people opposing my government would choose to live overseas because they were afraid to stay in colombia, now during our administration, they have come back to colombia. they enjoy it all of the freedoms and they enjoy all of the protections. we have 10,000 colombians in protection provided by the government. 2000 our trade union leaders. the ministry of finances needs to spend $45 million to budget these individual protections.

on the economy, what do we mean by social responsibility? social responsibility and transparency in the relationships between the government and the investors. transparency in taxes, in contact, in negotiations, conciliation of legal disputes, transparency. every contract my government assigns, it is cast in public audiences. we have advanced a lot in this regard. social responsibility requires a great effort from the government. to make investors to respond positively to requirements from

the community. for instance, in the regions where colombia produces coal, the government argues that the producers to be aware of the environmental issues. we have seen confrontations, political confrontations between the investors in their communities. we have not regarded the community claims and we have not created obstacles for investors. what we have done is to call both parties and to advance in constant dialogue for creating conditions for the production of

coal-- producers of coal to move forward with their activities and at the same time to be receptive to answer the expectations of their community. the country is full of examples of the outcome of these dialogues. my government has promoted in some areas of the country with all the dedication. it is our responsibility in our relationships between employers and workers. colombia rid jacks wide capitalism, untamed capitalism and colombia rechecks social class hatred. every day we look for fraternities in the relationships between employees and workers. social responsibility is to

realize that capital is a question for social welfare,. my country and our government have given investors of the-- to prosper in colombia under the condition of social responsibility. we do not share the idea of hostility regarding investors in some areas of our comp-- continent. we are friendly with investors. we need investment in colombia. it is the only way for my country to prosper, to overcome poverty and to improve conditions. the rate of in puzzlement has

passed during our administration from 12 to 14%. we have had 24, 25, 28. even in the middle of this economic crisis, during the first quarter, we had an investment rate of 25%. foreign direct investment. in the past it was between 500,000,001.5 billion. during the last years, we have had 8.5, 6.5,, large years 10 billion, 564 million. this year, until june the fifth, we had 3,333,000,000.

we have had a degree-- decrease of 60%, but in comparison with the international trade, our economy has performed a gr compatibly well in the capacity to attract foreign direct investment. we have introduced many structures of reform, but every day we consider that we need to adjust our framework to advance with new reforms. it is necessary to have a clear goal. what do you want to reach? what is the place that you want your country to arrive in? is it a desire to have the clarity and the goals of the same time to reduce adjustments? we say, we refuse changes.

we share the idea of introducing adjustments every day within the line, looking for the big goal. so far, we have reformed 427 state agencies, 427. you don't imagine how difficult it has been. for instance, we introduced labor reform and a possibility for the private sector to capitalize the corp.. you can't imagine how difficult it was. not because of technical difficulties, but because of political obstacles. in this environment, in my latin

american subcontinent, but we have advanced a lot. we have restructured many state institutions. it has contributed to-- it has contributed to improved services for the community. for instance, if you visit our capital city, you see that we have performed the public hospitals that used to belong to the national agency for social security. they were a disaster prior to this administration and now with the reform, they have improved a lot. now we have many reforms for the coming month.

one reform that is going on in congress is a new law to introduce much more speed in the provisions of the administration. we are in a process to create a great level of-- for congress to finally approved a reform. in the coming three weeks, my government is going to issue a decree to produce a structure in the national agency for intelligence, to cure this agency of its endemic problems. i hope in the coming three weeks my fellow country's citizens and the international community will see this decrease. we continue in the process of

introducing reforms for the benefit of my country. in the chapter of social cohesion, i want to refer only to some aspects in a location. from 78 to 100% in the vast majority of the country. from 57 to 78. we had come up prior to this administration, less than 1 million university students. today we are reaching 1,700,000. before, we lent money to 60,000 university students. today, we have almost 300,000

borrowers just in this-- we have a bansal lot in vocational training. colombia has an institution for vocational training. this institution has responded by-- made by employers. the institution should provide vocational training to 6 million colombians and this institution is working in foreign countries to assist them in this field. this institution now is reaching 1 million colombians as students to learn english as a second language do the internet with a free tariff. we are doing our best to overcome other problems.

for instance my country has advanced a lot and-- but we lag behind in education for those under six. in many areas of the country, because of the advances in education infrastructure. therefore today we lag behind in infrastructure. in our main cities we had a dance a lot in collectivity. not yet in the rural communities however by august of next year, we will have connectivity for 8% of the total students in the state schools. colombia has completed

41 million people with health insurance. i recognize we have problems because the insurance in the economy has less coverage than the insurance-- it is step-by-step. our country has to raise the coverage for those in the economy. we still have many hospitals in bad shape in the country. distinguished friends, we have made progress but we recognize that we have much more to do. colombia suffered a rate of poverty close to 60%. today we are in between 37 and

43, but the rate of social investment has increased a lot. today, 2,700,000 poor families receive a subsidy from the government every two months for them to guarantee their children's school attendance. we have advanced a lot to provide poor colombians with full coverage in education and with free tuition. we have a program to confront this economic crisis. we have the infrastructure, social protection. their efforts to finance the

government and finance employers with one key component, to preserve investment confidence in our country because we want to convert colombia and to the most attractive country for domestic and international investors to invest in with social responsibility. i know you have questions, comments, disagreements. [laughter] and i have to be ready to take them. thank you, and now the floor is yours. [applause] >> thank you very much mr. ambassador. i did not recognize and should have a little earlier, we have two distinguished former ambassadors here. i see jim and john negroponte

here. we will open it up for questions and begin with you. >> my name is richard goldstein. as i was telling you, my name is richard dawson from dawson associates international inc.. first of all i want to congratulate you for your brilliant his position. it is very well balanced and covers the political, economic, military and social aspects of your country. my question is about the farc, what you think is the impact of the farc in the region and if you think it represents the western hemisphere? thank you. >> someone very important in this country ask me three weeks ago, mr. president, did you

consider the progress colombia has made is universal? the man said, not yet. we have weakened the farc and we have weakened the terrorist groups. but, this narcotrafficking terrorist organization still-- still has the power. forest to advance, we need effectiveness in all the countries against the this organization. if this organization can find high debts and other countries, of this organization will never have the disposition, the likelihood to negotiate in colombia. they should understand that the best way to fulfill their wishes

is by-- not by giving farc a hideout. you should know that this is not a question of ideology. this is a question of narcotrafficking. the day before we left colombia, we visited a remote area, where we have to advance a lot in illicit drug education, providing people with social advances. in health, education, electricity and other utilities. it is a place making progress. before yesterday, the mayor and city councilors went to another

rural community particularly far away from the small capital city , and they were fired by farc. farc attacked them. the president of the city council-- 76 hours ago by farc. the members of farc who produce that attack were furious, angry because the city councilor had been unable to stop my government from the advancing in illicit drugs. this is new evidence that, in

colombia, as well as in the international community wanted to make these groups to narcotrafficking terrorist groups. but my government has all the determination to fight them. we need much more results but we do not black determination and we have been very generous. during the '90s, colombia sauve iwry-- resurgence of 4,000 people for good during our administration we have received and are in the process to assist 50,000 people. ous to receive them when they rethink their role and mobilize and come to