The comments you made cover a lot of aspects. I will try to deal very briefly with a few of them. I see that the Chairman is watching the clock.
Has the government lost control over the paramilitary? It is clear that the paramilitary today have a life of their own. These are independent groups. Just like the guerilla, they are involved in drug trafficking. All of that is a war to gain control over coca shrub growing land. One must not forget that the coca shrub is at the heart of all of this.
I am not the one who is saying this, and it is not my opinion, but that of the Colombian courts. After having heard the evidence put to them, the Colombian courts, as well as the international courts, have determined that there are still very strong links between various levels of government, the State and the paramilitary. For example, government officials can supply hit lists to the paramilitary in order to get them to do their dirty work for them. Collaboration is possible.
For example, the cases before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that I mentioned earlier led to major judgments stating that the paramilitary had arrived by helicopter, transported by the military. The armed forces transported 100 men, paramilitary fighters entered the village, massacred a few men and raped a few women and then left. During that time, the police had blocked all of the roads in order for the crimes to be committed. When we talk about collusion, that is the type of thing that happens. It can be at the regional level, at the local level, or as we now see, at the national level.
You talk about better statistics, but it is a war of numbers. And as I told you earlier, we do not march in these wars. I do however wish to invite you to be prudent with regard to official numbers. Indeed, two of the most recent national directors for statistics in Colombia, in 2005 and 2006, resigned because they deemed that they were being submitted to too much pressure to change the numbers. These people had been appointed by the government. So, yes, there certainly has been some improvement, but, as we stated earlier, the situation remains serious.
Are we fearful for those companies? Yes, certainly. It is not an easy environment. I know that it is sometimes difficult to imagine, when you have gone to Bogota, a large city where the men wear suits and ties and where women in well-tailored clothes simply go about their business. It is true that that Colombia exists, the Colombia of North Bogota. But I would challenge some of the people who spoke earlier to go with their family to the South of Bogota, one kilometre from the centre. They would witness a completely different reality, and I am not talking about the countryside or the jungle, where most human rights violations are being committed, far from the centres. Yes, companies can have certain fears. They are often forced to take part in a given process.
I will try to be brief.
Your last question pertained to who does the assassinating. I cannot answer that question. For example, last year, the American courts condemned Chiquita Brands — not just your ordinary company — to a record fine of 25 million dollars. It had been proven that the company had, for years, paid paramilitary groups to maintain security around its production site. During that time, the paramilitary, who were being paid, assassinated dozens and dozens of union leaders. That fact was proven before a court of law in the United States. Companies sometimes feel forced, either voluntarily or under threat, to participate in this type of thing. This process is occurring in Colombia.