BOGOTA.- A few hours before the bilateral ceasefire agreement between the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN)peace delegations are meeting in Havana, Cuba, to decide whether to extend the suspension of hostilities.
Attention is especially focused on the ELN’s promise to suspend extortionate kidnappings, conditioning this action on the extension of the bilateral ceasefire. This agreement, which has been in effect since August 3 of last year, will end at midnight on Monday.
The sixth round of negotiations between the government and the guerrilla is marked by the evaluation of the effectiveness of the ceasefire so far. This review, which included the participation of Colombian Defense Minister Iván Velásquez last Saturday, is crucial to determining whether the agreement is extended.
It is worth remembering that last year, during the ceasefire period, the ELN kidnapped the parents of soccer player Luis Díaz, generating social condemnation and plunging the dialogues into a temporary crisis. Although his mother was released the same day, his father remained captive for 12 days.
The possibility of an extension of the ceasefire implies a detailed evaluation of its operation, as agreed in a public document signed in December. This document establishes the review of the elements that hinder the operation of the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism of the ceasefire, including the suspension of “withholdings for economic purposes”, a term used by the guerrilla to refer to kidnappings.
The United Nations Mission in Colombia is part of the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism at the table with the ELN, where reports on possible violations of the ceasefire are analyzed, including public complaints. The next decision of the parties will determine the direction of the negotiations and stability in the region.
Source: With information from AP
