Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is my intent to share my time.
I welcome His Excellency, who is appearing here today as a witness. We appreciate your time.
By reading over the information we were given to prepare for today and by trying to cut directly to the chase and deal with some of the human rights abuses that have occurred both in the paramilitary and in the terrorist organizations, it certainly is troubling--the attacks on civil society, as Mr. Masse had mentioned.
The situation, you've explained, has improved over the last half a decade, in particular. Certainly it's still a dire situation for civil society in Colombia, and we recognize that.
Ambassador, where do you see this headed? If we don't move forward, if we were not to move forward with a free trade agreement, what do you think the results of that would be for civil society in Colombia?