Guardian (UK) and other sources

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing demands from his own Labor Party and the Trade Union Council to distance himself from George Bush in Colombia policy – by blocking arms sales and withdrawing all military aid to the US president’s staunchest Latin American ally, Colombia.

More than 200 leaders of the Party published a statement on the eve of the Party’s national conference this week to “end military aid to Colombia” until its government implements the recommendations of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights. Britain is the second largest supplier of military aid to Colombia, after the United States.

Many of the parliamentarians and union leaders were expected to propose a motion at this week’s Labor party conference demanding the end of British military support to Colombia because of human rights abuses following actions by Democrats in the US Congress to reduce military aid to Colombia. However, a Labor conference organizing committee removed many motions from consideration by the Party conference, including the one on military aid to Colombia.

The British Trade Union Council also passed a resolution to “make urgent representations to the Government to withdraw military assistance to Colombia.”

The Labor party in August sent a high-level delegation led by Tony Lloyd, chair of the party, and Mike Griffiths, chair of the national executive committee, to meet President Uribe and talk to victims of human rights abuses. Lloyd said that “Mr. Uribe must address our concerns surrounding human rights violations in Colombia. Trade Unionists in particular are regularly murdered or subject to ill treatment and intimidation.”

“This is a senior-level delegation that is determined to achieve progress on a range of issues affecting the relationship between Britain and Colombia,” Griffiths said. “In particular, the human rights situation, with continuing killings of trade unionists has to be addressed.” Griffiths said he would raise these issues with Prime Minister Brown.

"There is a mix of optimism and skepticism about the MPs," writes Trish Abbott, a UK activist and former FOR Colombia team member. She notes that there has been a motion in Parliament for several years signed by many of the same people and "it has been ignored. This is more high profile, so maybe there is more hope. But is [Prime Minister] Gordon Brown really willing to pay the political price for stopping support - both from Bush and the British oil companies who invest there?" she asks.

The Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense have so far refused to reveal the scale of British military aid to Colombia despite a number of requests under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain details.

Mark Donne, political officer for Justice for Colombia, said: “The Foreign Office, MOD and even [the] Treasury have all refused our requests merely to disclose the cost of military aid to Colombia to the British taxpayer. Each department stated that they do not hold such information. As recently as July 2007, Foreign Office minister Kim Howells refused to disclose financial details of this assistance and critically, who ultimately receives it, on the grounds that it could damage international relations. I am at a loss to understand how disclosure of the cost of this aid could jeopardize international relations.”