The Colombian government called on the National Liberation Army (ELN) this Thursday to take over “responsibility” on the future of peace talks, frozen since last May, and asked the guerrillas to seek solutions to the problems that plague the negotiating table.
(Read here: Army rescues kidnapped man in a high-end truck in Arauca)
Senator Iván Cepeda, who is part of the negotiating team, said that “The ELN has to tell the country now what to do,” because the Government has been “clear” and their “positions have been absolutely transparent.”
“There is talk of non-compliance, but the worst of the non-compliances, it must be said here, is having frozen the table. This is a flagrant breach of our commitment and even more so on the verge of renewing the ceasefire. There is no argument that we consider valid for this attitude of suspension, delay of the conversations.”the senator added at a press conference in Bogotá.
Confidential proposal
Colombian President Gustavo Petro revealed this Thursday that the “confidential proposal” that his Government presented to the ELN over the weekend to unfreeze the peace talks is related to a “economic reform” and He accused the guerrillas of not being interested in the issue.
Petro responded in this way to a statement from the guerrilla, which assured that the peace process “At this time, we do not need ‘confidential proposals’ but rather frankness and clarity for the country” and asked the Government to state whether or not it will comply with the agreement.
In this regard, Cepeda explained that the Government and the guerrillas are not going to go to “a closed enclosure” Let’s see how they agree on the modification “of the economic model”.
“What the president has proposed, and what is in the agreements, is a dialogue with the social movement, significant sectors of the business community, to discuss the issue,” he added.
ELN.
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Guerrilla demands
Last May, the guerrilla group set four conditions to remain at the table: Removal of the ELN from the list of organized armed groups (GAO), creation of a fund to finance itself in exchange for ceasing kidnapping for extortion, suspension of government approaches to the Comuneros del Sur front and the end of offensive operations by the State security forces.
(See here: The setbacks that the Petro government has generated, from the opposition’s perspective)
Another reflection of the crisis of negotiations is that the bilateral ceasefire with The ELN expired on August 3 and could not be extended.
The head of the Government’s negotiating team, Vera Grabe, said today that “The ELN has responded publicly, making claims to the Government for non-compliance that are not true.”
“He has proposed not to start offensive operations until the 23rd (of August) as an ultimatum and it seems to us that the tone of an ultimatum does not help much,” express.
Grabe also accused the guerrillas of maintaining “silence on the subject of meetings” and said that this group has not given “no kind of response” to try to solve the crisis.
However, he valued that in the guerrilla “There are shades too” When talking about peace and the process with the Government “has moved the ELN.”
“We are here hoping that common sense will prevail and that the will for peace will prevail, which is why it is obviously the ELN who defines it, but we are betting that there is will in the ELN,” he added.
Along these lines, Senator Cepeda stressed that “The purpose of this Government is to complete a peace process with the National Liberation Army.”
“We are not going to be the ones to take the step of breaking off negotiations (…) The ELN, without a doubt, also has to take the steps so that this can come to a good end,” he concluded.
EFE
