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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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Juan Manuel Santos
Age: 73
Born: 1951
Born: August 10
Economist
Journalist
Lawyer
Politician
President Of Colombia
Bogota
Colombia
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón
Thing
Lived
People
Percent
Single
Peace
Living
Colombia
War
Massacres
Used
React
Even
Gotten

More quotes by Juan Manuel Santos

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I remember in 2000, when President Clinton came to Cartagena just before Plan Colombia started, the country was on the verge of becoming a failed state. Today, we are one of the most solid democracies, where institutions are working, where the scandals such as false positives have come to light because of those functioning institutions.
Juan Manuel Santos
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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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Uribe and I have very good relations. I owe him loyalty, I admire him, he did great things for our country, and I think that because of what he did, I can now concentrate on different issues, different from what he concentrated on.
Juan Manuel Santos
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I don't like to generate too many expectations.
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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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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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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Right here, in this same headquarters, 52 years ago, the Convention that gave the birth certificate to the war on drugs was approved.
Juan Manuel Santos
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Today, we must acknowledge, that war has not been won.
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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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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The fight against drug trafficking by the Colombian government has been present, and the Americans themselves are the first to recognize that.
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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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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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 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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At this moment, I don't think people would back the old-fashioned Marxist-Leninist ideas of FARC. But I do hope that the rebels will continue to pursue their agenda by legal means and not through violence.
Juan Manuel Santos
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One doesn't make peace with one's friends. One makes peace with one's enemies.
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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There are times for making war and times for making peace.
Juan Manuel Santos