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Ten years ago, we were seen as a virtually failed state, but today we are a vibrant democracy. You can walk safely through the streets of Bogota these days.

Juan Manuel Santos

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Juan Manuel Santos
Age: 73
Born: 1951
Born: August 10
Economist
Journalist
Lawyer
Politician
President Of Colombia
Bogota
Colombia
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón
Years
Walk
Walks
Democracy
Vibrant
Days
Safely
Seen
Virtually
State
Failed
States
Ten
Today
Streets

More quotes by Juan Manuel Santos

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I have had extremely good relations with the United States and with both parties (Republicans and Democrats), and I hope to continue to have these good relations, which I, again repeating, do not consider to be mutually exclusive with having good relations with Venezuela or Ecuador or whichever country in South America.
Juan Manuel Santos
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I say this as the president of the country which has suffered more deaths, more blood and more sacrifices in this war.
Juan Manuel Santos
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Today, we must acknowledge, that war has not been won.
Juan Manuel Santos
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I've not lived one single day of peace in Colombia, and 90 percent of people here say the same thing. We have gotten used to living in a war - we don't even react to massacres.
Juan Manuel Santos
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There are times for making war and times for making peace.
Juan Manuel Santos
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If we act together on the drug problem, with a comprehensive vision devoid of ideological or political biases, we will be able to prevent much harm and violence!
Juan Manuel Santos
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The rebels will be thinking about retaliation, what we have to do is stop stop and transform it into a spiral of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Juan Manuel Santos
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We must rebuild Colombia, starting with ourselves, our hearts, put resentment aside, put hatred aside, put envy aside. The only thing that those attitudes accomplish is to sow violence and sow death and suffering.
Juan Manuel Santos
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Where do you draw the line between peace and justice? If you ask the victims, they want more justice if you ask the potential victims, they want more peace.
Juan Manuel Santos
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Waging war is much more popular than negotiating, because there you need to compromise.
Juan Manuel Santos
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The notion that you do not negotiate with terrorists is not the history of humanity or of the world.
Juan Manuel Santos
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I fight terrorism as if there was no peace process, and I negotiate the peace process as if there was no terrorism.
Juan Manuel Santos
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More than 70 percent of Colombians want peace. The rest are afraid of the price to be paid. But even they will realize that their worst fears will not come true. I'm quite optimistic that Colombians do back an agreement with the FARC.
Juan Manuel Santos
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Unfortunately, my rivals are spreading all kinds of suspicions for political reasons that are absolutely not true. They've tried accusing me of agreeing to dismantle the army, of jeopardizing private property, of giving the pensions of policemen to the guerillas - all kinds of lies. What they want is for people to be afraid of peace.
Juan Manuel Santos
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If we are giving judicial benefits to one part, we should give them to the other part as well.
Juan Manuel Santos
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Europe would be well advised to pay more attention to Latin America. The emerging economies are the engines of the global economy. Colombia has done too little to improve its reputation in Europe.
Juan Manuel Santos
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If you analyze the production of coca in Colombia, you will realize that it is like economic cycles. It goes up and down, it goes up and down depending on the circumstances.
Juan Manuel Santos
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Social housing, education, health, jobs and sustainable surroundings. Those are my priorities.
Juan Manuel Santos
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Democracy is like three oxen pulling a plough. The oxen are the independent powers, but you have to walk in the same direction otherwise, you cannot plough and that is what was happening in Colombia. One ox was walking in one direction, the other in another direction, so the democracy was not working.
Juan Manuel Santos
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We have had this happen in the past, right in Colombia: there were amnesties for everybody, guerrilla members were elected mayors, senators. Today there are senators who are - who were previously guerrillas.
Juan Manuel Santos