“The expression of a most cruel war is the use of mechanisms such as landmines. And for this project, we have great confidence in Italy,” said this morning the Ambassador of Colombia to Rome, Juan Sebastian Betancur Escobar, during the meeting between the Colombian delegation and the authorities and institutions involved in the Presidential Program for Integral Action Against Landmines. The meeting took in the headquarters of the IILA (Istituto Italo-Latino Americano) in Rome. This project is a collaboration between the Colombian government and the Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, who work together to bring re-establish a normal situation in the Latin American country, the second most corrupt country in the world in terms of land mines. “Over the last twelve years, there have been 1470 army-men killed by landmines, and many more among the civilian population,” said Lieutenant Colonel Gustavo Bermudez Batallon Castaneda: “It’s a curse.” Italy has pledged to help, supporting what the ambassador Giorgio Malfatti, general secretary of the IILA, described as “a small project that we hope will bring more in the future.” The meeting this morning was the first activity planned, with the Colombian delegation residing in Rome until June 21. During this time, the Italian technical mission, which will take place by the second half of 2014, will also be defined. “We will be worthy of the confidence the Colombian government has given us” said adviser Luca Trifone, head of the South America Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
