Delegations from the Colombian government and the ELN guerrillas plan to meet this Friday in Caracas, a meeting that seeks “a way out of the crisis” of the frozen peace process and resume a ceasefire.
The peace process was suspended in September by decision of President Gustavo Petro, in reaction to an attack by the National Liberation Army (ELN). against a military base that left three soldiers dead and 28 injured.
“We will raise issues such as reactivating the ceasefire with the monitoring and verification mechanism, participation and humanitarian dynamics,” said Vera Grabe, the government’s chief negotiator, cited this week in a statement from the Presidency. “It is possible that not all issues will be resolved, but they will be raised for new meetings”he added. The agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, in a climate of secrecy.
Grabe told AFP that he could not provide any information. The ELN proposed the meeting at the beginning of the month “to examine the crisis in which the process finds itself”while denouncing violations of the agreement with the government.
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“As long as the government does not overcome the current situation of non-compliance with agreements, we will not be able to get out of the freeze to which they themselves led the talks process,” expressed the armed group. The Petro delegation accepted a meeting that would lead to “resuming our dialogue.” “We want to address how far the ELN wants to advance with this government”Grabe noted.
The last meeting in Caracas held between the parties was in May. The ELN, in arms since 1964, intensified its offensive since the beginning of August, when it decided not to resume a truce that had been in force since 2023.. The Military Forces also resumed their operations against the rebels. Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, is trying to defuse the six-decade armed conflict by talking to various guerrillas and criminal gangs.
He faces criticism from the opposition, which denounces a deterioration in public security. The dialogue with the ELN has been developed in Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela.
AFP
