Paramilitary Chief Urges Colombians in Four-Decade War to Forgive Each Other. Feared paramilitary chief Carlos Castano whose right-wing forces are accused of bloody massacres urged all Colombians to forgive each other to end nearly four decades of civil war. In an interview broadcast Monday on Caracol television, Castano fell short of an apology but accepted that there were “regrettable excesses” in his group’s fight against leftist guerrillas. “I am a victim of the violence,” Castano said, citing the murder of his father by leftist rebels. “I too demand justice.” “But I cannot continue in this vicious circle, where I kill you, you kill me, because where will we end up? If in 22 years I have been unable to change hardly anything, then right now I am thinking of opting for something different than force a gesture of peace.” Castano has entered peace talks with the Colombian government and promised to disarm his 13,000 troops by the end of 2005. He faces dozens of murder and massacre charges. Yet the Colombian government is pushing for legislation that would prevent war criminals who disarm from going to jail. If Congress approves the plan, alternative ways would be found for insurgents to pay for their crimes, such as financial compensation to families of their victims. Full Story
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