A total of 1,200 Colombian militiamen of the right-wing paramilitary United Self Defense Force laid down their arms to the government in Casanare, eastern Colombia, Saturday.

All of them are members of the Centaurus Block of the United Self Defense Force, or AUC. Their surrender brings to about 9,200 the number of fighters of the organization who have been demobilized under a peace process.

High-ranking peace-talk representative of the Colombian government, together with observers from the Organization of American States, attended the disbanding ceremony in Yopal, the capital city of Casanare, 400 km east of Bogota.

The Centaurus Block has always been quite influential in the central and eastern parts of Colombia. Vicente Castano, the leaderof the block, is the brother of two other important leaders who are still missing, and together, the three are known as the "Castano Group."

Vicente Castano, also known as "the professor" in the organization, often manipulates backstage, and he is believed to be the real powerful leader of the AUC. He is accused of participating in drug trafficking, and wanted by the US judicial departments.

The surrender of Vicente Castano marks the further disintegration of paramilitary organizations in Colombia and is also a significant step toward peace talks between the Colombian government and paramilitary organizations.

Presently, the Colombian Ministry of Civil Affairs is registering the identifications, recording finger prints, taking photos and identifying DNA for the demobilized militiamen, who will also accept relevant mental therapy and receive daily necessities and certain economic compensations the government has allocated.

The AUC was established in April 1997. It signed the Peaceful Disbanding Agreement with the Colombia government in November 2003, under which it should cease fire immediately and demobilize all its members by the end of 2005.

The Colombian government has been implementing the "Peaceful Disbanding Program" since August 2002 in an effort to encourage the illegal military organizations in the country to disarm and return to normal social life voluntarily. It has also promised to those who are willing to demobilize that it will offer them economic aid, secure them and their families' safety, and provide them with professional training and employment opportunities.

Source: Xinhua