The delegation of Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) will have, as of Tuesday, January 17, a “Extraordinary meeting” in Venezuela to overcome the impasse over the announcement of the President Gustavo Petro about a bilateral ceasefire without having agreed with that guerrilla at the dialogue table.
(See: Government gave the ‘green light’ to resume military operations against ELN).
“The government delegation appreciates the hospitality of Venezuela to hold an extraordinary meeting with the ELN delegation next week“, explained the head of the negotiating team of the Colombian government, Otty Patino, it’s a statement.
The document, published on social networks by the senator Ivan Cepeda, who is part of the government negotiating team, recalls that the second cycle of talks with the ELN “will start in Mexico in mid-February“, hence disagreements need to be overcome.
(See: Government repeals decrees for bilateral ceasefire with the ELN).
On January 9, the ELN assured that the peace negotiation with the government was “In crisis“, after the announcement of Petro de a bilateral ceasefire that this guerrilla does not recognize, because, they say, it was not agreed upon in the dialogues that are taking place in Caracas.
“As the Government does not comply with the discussion processes of the Table (negotiation) and takes unilateral measures and makes them public, these procedures put the development of the Table in crisis“, said the ELN in a statement released by that guerrilla at the time.
There is no agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, but it is estimated that the first point that the parties will address is clarify the situation derived from the announcement of the head of state regarding the ceasefire.
(See: ‘University of peace’, Petro’s path to reach ‘total peace’).
Likewise, the parties are expected to adjust the communication protocols on the progress of the dialogues so that a situation similar to the one that occurred with the announcement made by President Petro on the night of December 31 is not repeated.
In addition to Patiño, the High Commissioner for Peace, Danilo Rueda; the Congress men María José Pizarro and Iván Cepeda; as well as the members of the government negotiation team: Nigeria Renteria, Jose Felix Lafaurie and Olga Silva.
(See: The ‘total peace’ of Petro that aspires to deactivate the violence in the country).
Petro has defended a ‘total peace’ policy to which it intends to link several armed groups that operate in the country to start peace negotiations, although for the moment the ELN is the only one with which a formal dialogue has begun.
EFE
