Human-rights abuses threatens Colombia

BRUSSELS, May 26 (UPI) -- Maintaining recent security gains in Colombia will require government attention to human-rights abuses, a report from the International Crisis Group says.

The Belgium-based non-governmental organization released a report Monday suggesting that improvements in security achieved since 2002 could be undermined if Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's administration does not address ongoing human-rights abuses. including violations of international humanitarian law, the Crisis Group reported.

The report, titled "The Virtuous Twins: Protecting Human Rights and Improving Security in Colombia," calls on Uribe and other government leaders to curb human-rights violations by security forces and the military and ensure accountability in order to maintain and continue improving security in Colombia.

"The priorities of the government and human rights defenders are not mutually exclusive, but reinforcing," Markus Schultze-Kraft, Crisis Group Latin America director, said in a statement.

"Ending the internal armed conflict urgently requires improved security with full respect for Colombians' fundamental rights."