HAVANA (AP) — Six years ago, the Colombian Francia Márquez went to Cuba as part of a delegation of victims of the armed conflict in Colombia, within the framework of the talks that the government of the South American nation was carrying out with a guerrilla organization; This Thursday she disembarked as vice president, thanked the efforts of the island and expressed her expectations of achieving peace.
“Hopefully Colombia can take that step to stop killing each other between Colombian men and women and we can resolve the differences through dialogue,” Márquez said upon his arrival in Havana.
“It is also an opportunity to thank Cuba for all the commitment to peace in our country,” added the official who will participate in the International Book Fair, dedicated in this edition to Colombia.
Márquez went to the island when the government of former President Juan Manuel Santos was negotiating with the support of Cuba a ceasefire with the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a historic agreement that was signed in 2016.
Shortly after, a round of talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) also began in Quito, Ecuador, and Havana. But this was suspended –after the group placed a bomb in a military school– during the mandate of Iván Duque, who succeeded Santos and who demanded that Cuba capture the guerrilla leaders who were in its territory.
Cuba refused to hand over the rebel leaders, alleging that the talks protocols and its role as guarantor -together with other nations such as Norway- prevented it from doing so, but the United States, a strong ally of Duque’s, punished the island by placing it on a list of sponsors of terrorism, with the tightening of sanctions promoted by Donald Trump as a context.
The new head of the Colombian executive and Márquez’s running mate, Gustavo Petro –Colombia’s first left-wing president-, demanded upon his coming to power that the sanction against Cuba be modified and resumed talks with the ELN that have now moved to Mexico .
“We hope to make all our efforts to restore peace to our country,” Márquez said Thursday when asked about his expectations about the next table with the ELN that will resume on February 13 in the North American nation after the cycle held in January. in Caracas, Venezuela.
Both parties will seek a strategic bilateral ceasefire in Mexico, they indicated in a joint statement at the close of the Venezuelan stage in January.
Márquez will be in Cuba for two days and, in addition to participating in the 31st Havana International Book Fair, he will meet with groups of ecumenical and popular education activists, as well as with the highest leaders of the Cuban government.
