The peace talks between the ELN and Colombia were formally resumed after four years of being suspended by Iván Duque. The negotiating group of the insurgents arrived in Venezuela to inform their commanders of the decisions and resume talks
The negotiating delegation of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Cuba, which participates in the dialogue table with the Government of Colombia to achieve peace, left on Sunday, October 2, from Havana to Caracas in order to hold consultations and resume the conversations with the envoys of President Gustavo Petro.
Via a statement, the ELN delegation highlighted that after four years of having paralyzed the dialogue, it is officially restarted with the support of guarantor countries such as Cuba, Norway and Venezuela, which allow the return of the negotiating group “with security and guarantees.” .
In his opinion, this fact is “a victory for reason and international law against the purpose of perfidy” allegedly carried out by the government of former President Iván Duque “who sought not only to circumvent the obligations contracted with the ELN, and with the international community but cause serious damage to the people and to the Republic of Cuba, for being the host country of the talks in its commitment to peace in Colombia».
Here is the ELN statement: pic.twitter.com/uR8n9Skvhx
– Patricia Villegas Marin (@pvillegas_tlSUR) October 2, 2022
The ELN guerrillas who are at the negotiating table returned to Venezuela, led by Pablo Beltrán, because that was the place that was agreed for the departure of the insurgent group’s delegation in 2016, when the dialogue began under the presidency of Juan Manuel Santos. They did it by means of a Conviasa plane.
What is unknown is whether these people will stay in Venezuela or will go to Colombia to advance the meetings with their Central Command.
The High Commissioner for Peace of Colombia assured that the Government of Colombia “accompanied the development of the return operation” of the ELN delegation.
It must be remembered that in recent days, the current Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, suspended the arrest and extradition orders against the ELN negotiators to facilitate peace talks with that guerrilla and achieve peace in the country plagued by violence. .
*Also read: Maduro offers Venezuela as the venue for dialogue between the Government of Colombia and the ELN
The peace negotiations of previous governments with the ELN, which has some 2,400 combatants and is accused of financing itself from kidnapping, extortion, drug trafficking and illegal mining, did not advance due to its radical positions, a diffuse chain of command and dissent among its ranks.
Petro, in an interview on September 23 with Colombian media, he reiterated that the site of the negotiations must be established in common agreement with the ELN.
«You have to listen to what they (ELN) think, I have a place in my head, another day we will talk about it. According to a consensus we choose the site », he added without clarifying the question of the possible new venue for the negotiations.
Regarding the guarantor countries, he specified that “it is exactly the same thing that Santos leaves at the end of his government, some countries that were Norway, which continues; Cuba, which continues, Venezuela, which we redo, was a guarantor in the past process, and Brazil, I think. They have requested other countries, it must be discussed with the ELN. Venezuela, in my opinion, was key in the Santos government for the disarmament of the FARC. Key code. And I think it could be the key to success in the process with the ELN.”
With information from Week / The country / Snail News / Swiss Info / Telesur / yahoo
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