Through your account Twitter, Antonio García, the first commander of the ELN guerrilla (National Liberation Army) indicated the agenda they would handle in the second cycle of peace dialogue talks with the colombian state.
Ariel Ávila pointed out the differences between the negotiation with the ELN and the submission to justice of the Clan del Golfo
The senator from the Green Alliance emphasized that within the Total Peace model there are two types of processes, one in charge of terrorist structures for political purposes and the other with criminal groups.
As one of the central issues to be handled by the representatives of the National Liberation Army would be the negotiation of a bilateral cessation between that guerrilla and the Colombian National Army, which would mean a halt in hostilities and military operations.
“In the 2 cycle of negotiations in Mexico we are going to address the participation of society in the construction of peace, begin to discuss and agree to a bilateral ceasefire, examine achievements and difficulties in the implementation of agreements made in the first cycle,” said Antonio García, the first commander of the ELN guerrilla.
In the comments of this trill one can read several messages that question the will of the National Liberation Army with a bilateral cessation by not joining the announcement of President Gustavo Petro in December.
Gustavo Petro: Only the high peace commissioner can initiate dialogues with illegal groups
The president of Colombia pointed out that neither lawyers, government officials, or their own relatives have the powers to negotiate peace between insurgent groups and the State
“Antonio, delaying the ceasefire only brings more death and desolation”, “A call to reflection, please, for Peace, for Life”, and “Colombia needs a national negotiating table with all the armed actors and civil society”, among other comments are read in that tweet.
José Félix Lafaurie, president of Fedegán and member of the government’s negotiating team, indicated that the second cycle of talks with the ELN would begin on February 13 in Mexico, the venue agreed upon in the first phase of the Peace Process. Despite the above, it is not known exactly where in Mexico the peace talks between the Colombian State and the ELN would take place.
The UN hopes that a ceasefire will be agreed between the Government and the ELN in the second cycle of talks
This announcement was made in the middle of an extraordinary meeting between the peace delegations of the Colombian Government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Caracas, the site of the first cycle of talks between the two parties.
In said meeting, one of the topics to be discussed was the possibility of carrying out a bilateral ceasefire. This after the announcement delivered unilaterally by the president, Gustavo Petro, on December 31, 2022. In addition, that meeting is expected to last until next weekend, in which both delegations will deliver a joint statement.
In fact, a source confirmed to the EFE Agency that on Tuesday, January 17, the guerrilla delegation and seven members of the government negotiating team held a first private meeting also in Caracas.
It is worth mentioning that the leader of the livestock union held a dialogue with Snail Radio that “what is worth looking at is the elements on which the ELN raised the issue. This is an opportunity to start, so that they listen to our arguments and the arguments that you have”.
Added to that, President Petro sent a message of confidence by acknowledging that there was a mistake when announcing the bilateral ceasefire with the ELN; however, he did not hesitate to affirm that this decision was not hasty since he had indeed discussed this measure in Caracas.
According to the president, the most important thing is the desire for dialogue that has been expressed since the talks table with that guerrilla was established. Under this scenario, he pointed out that “we must focus on peace”, and also emphasized that, during his government, progress in the consolidation of Total Peace and the cessation of the armed conflict is his priority.
