• Text size  | | |
• Email this document
• Printable version

Colombia: Activities and mandate of an organization called AGRONAL (Asociación Nacional de Productores Agropecuarios) in Bogota; its possible connection with the Moral and Social Vanguard Party Go Colombia (Partido Vanguardia Moral y Social Vamos Colombia, VC); whether there is any connection between AGRONAL, the VC and the paramilitaries (2002 - March 2003)

While the Research Directorate found no information about an organization called AGRONAL (Asociacion Nacional de Productores Agropecuarios) in Bogota, the following provides information about the Moral and Social Vanguard Party, Go Colombia (Partido Vanguardia Moral y Social, Vamos Colombia, VC).

According to its own Website, the VC is a political party that was created on 3 April 1997 by members from the central committee of the organization called Prodefense for the Rights of the Public Force (Prodefensa de los derechos de la Fuerza Publica) and representatives from the reservist "associations" (agremiaciones) of the Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas) (VC n.d.a). The Website also lists Luis Elmer Arenas Parra as the National Director (Director Nacional) of the VC and Victor Manuel Gaitan Chisino as the party's General Secretary (Secretario General) (ibid. n.d.b).

An article of August 2002 profiling Arenas Parra noted that the VC leader is basically supported by retired members of the National Police and Military Forces (Votebien.com 27 Aug. 2002). Furthermore, the VC party leader was a Senator from 1998 to 2002 and won a second term for the 2002 to 2006 period (ibid.).

Political Parties of the World corroborated this information stating that the VC "won one Senate seat in 1998" (2002). The results from the 2002 elections also demonstrate that the VC won one seat in the Chamber of Representatives and one seat in the Senate of the Republic (Electionworld 10 Aug. 2002).

No information about whether the VC is linked to the paramilitaries could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Electionworld.10 August 2002. "Elections in Colombia." <http://www.electionworld.org/election/colombia.htm> [Accessed 10 Feb. 2003]

Political Parties of the World. 2002. 5th ed. Edited by Alan J. Day. London: St. James Press.

Votebien.com. 27 August 2002. "Congreso: Senado 2002-2006 Luis Elmer Arenas Parra." <http://www.terra.com.co/elecciones_2002/congreso_2002_2006_2/27-08-2002/nota66381.html> [Accessed 5 Mar. 2003]

Vanguardia Moral y Social de Colombia, Vamos Colombia (VC). n.d.a. "Acta de Constitucion del Partido." <http://www.vamoscolombia.org> [Accessed 5 Mar. 2003]

____. n.d.b. "Integrantes Direccion Nacional." <http://www.vamoscolombia.org> [Accessed 5 Mar. 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

Europa World Year Book 2002

IRB databases

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites:

Colombia-Libre.org

Colombia, Gobierno en Linea - Portal del Estado Colombiano

Colombia, Insitituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA)

Colombia, Instituto Colombiano de la Reforma Agraria (INCORA)

Colombia, Ministerio de Agricultura y Desarollo Rural

Electorales.com

El Tiempo [Bogota]

Fundacion Ideas Para la Paz

Political Database of the Americas

Radio Caracol [Bogota]

Salud y Desplazamiento Colombia

Social Sciences and Humanities Library (SSHL), Latin American Election Statistics

Search engine:

Google

Topics: Militias,