MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Santos called for understanding in spite of ideological differences

The new president takes the oath before Congress

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos took office Saturday with a pledge to create jobs, end rebel violence and foster economic growth while seeking to mend ties with neighbouring countries in spite of “ideological differences”.

“We want to be respected”, emphasized Santos, “but be certain that the word war is not included in my vocabulary” said the president at the end of his hour long speech, and the most waited for statement by the seventeen presidential delegations participating of the ceremony, including Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs minister Nicolas Maduro.

Santos, 58, took the presidential sash from Alvaro Uribe amid a dispute with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who last month severed diplomatic ties and ordered troops to the border after the government revealed photos and other evidence allegedly showing 1,500 guerrillas are using Venezuelan territory to launch attacks and traffic guns and narcotics.

Chavez denied he’s hiding members of the rebel groups, FARC and ELN, and said Colombia and Washington may attack Venezuela and assassinate him. Both countries reject the accusation.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro in representation of Chavez said that his country is looking toward the future with Colombia and is keen to work alongside the new government.

“We want to express a message of love and solidarity with the Colombian people, a message for the future and hope” Maduro said on arriving. “We want to tell President Santos that we’ve come with the best intentions of work and progress.”

Santos and Vice President Angelino Garzon won 69% of the vote on promises to create 2.4 million jobs, cut drug trafficking and attempt to renew links with Venezuela and other neighbours.

He took over from the most popular president in Colombia’s history. Uribe left with a 75% approval rating after eight years in which he has forced the guerrillas that once controlled 25% of Colombian territory to be again on the run, very distant from that effective and efficient organized force of over 25.000 armed members.

At the same time that with US support Uribe successfully imposed his “democracy with security” policy, he also achieved record economic growth and foreign investments.

Breaking with tradition and protocol, Santos made it a point to invite Uribe to be present at his taking the oath ceremony before the Colombian congress. The gesture was interpreted as recognition to the popular leader and a clear signal of what can be expected from the incoming leader regarding security with democracy policies.

The foreign dignitaries present included among others President Lula da Silva from Brazil; Cristina Kirchner, Argentina; Jose Mujica, Uruguay; Sebastián Piñera, Chile; Alan Garcia, Peru, Rafael Correa, Ecuador, Mexico’s Felipe Calderon, Panama’s, Ricardo Martinelli; Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla; Mauricio Funes from El Salvador, Álvaro Colom from Guatemala and Honduras, Porfirio Lobo among others.

Unasur secretary general Nestor Kirchner, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza and the heir to the Spanish crown Prince Felipe.

US National Security Advisor General James Jones attended for the Obama administration.

As well as Venezuelan minister Maduro presence (agreed by Chavez with Lula da Silva and Unasur head Kirchner) the participation of Ecuadorian president Correas was also most significant.

It was Correa’s first trip to Colombia since the president-elect, as Uribe’s Defence minister, bombed a FARC camp inside Ecuador in March 2008, killing the guerrillas second in command.

Santos belongs to a patrician family linked to politics: he started as a journalist, studied at Kansas and Harvard universities and has been a member of the ministerial cabinet of several administrations, the last of which with Uribe in Defence. He is regarded as the political heir of the popular former president.

In preparation for the ceremony, the Colombian government ordered 160,000 police to search cars and buildings around the country, after thousands of tons of explosives were recently discovered in Bogotá and around the country. Authorities in June seized drawings of the presidential palace held by FARC.

Santos, who also served as Colombia’s finance and trade minister, said he hopes his first term will pave the way for the country’s economy to expand as much as 6% in two years, up from an expected 4% this year.

Since Uribe took office in August 2002, the Colombian stock index has soared more than eleven fold. Colombia’s peso has strengthened almost 47% in the past eight years to 1,816.10 pesos to the dollar. Colombia will attract as much as 10 billion USD in foreign direct investment this year, up from 7.2 billion last year, of which 80% went into oil, coal and mining.