UN General Assembly
2008

businesses and homes destroyed. Of the approximately 60,000 terrorists that ravaged the country at the start of the Government’s term of office, 48,000 have abandoned their criminal organizations and joined the reintegration programme, which is a great challenge for Colombia. As of 08-51839 14 17 September this year, 2,436 guerrilla members — 2,147 of them from FARC — had been demobilized. In a democracy of opinion such as ours, the sustainability of democratic security depends on its credibility, which in turn is based on effectiveness and transparency. That transparency is tantamount to the observance of the fundamental human rights we all enjoy. From that foundation comes our respect for liberties in the midst of the fight against terrorism and for openness, vigilance, criticism and debate at the national and international levels. Furthermore, a formative, world-leading effort in human rights within our armed forces is crucial, as is the ongoing adjustment of operative protocols through such measures as that requiring soldiers to wait for the presence of a judicial delegate before moving the body