Caracas, April 12.- The Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) begin today in Caracas the seventh meeting of the Dialogue Table, which follows up on the meetings held last February in Havana.
These exchanges will last until April 22 and are expected to address topics such as participation, ceasefire, territorial transformations, as well as substantive decisions on the future of the process, announced the chief negotiator of the Executive, Vera Grabe.
The Casa de Nariño work team considered it imperative to concentrate the work of the Dialogue Table on “advancing the peace process, making decisions that develop the agenda and addressing underlying issues of the process,” and stated “it is necessary not to waste time".
A statement indicated that the serious situation faced by populations in departments such as Arauca, Chocó and Nariño must be addressed, making it necessary to address fundamental issues such as “the rights of the victims.”
It expressed that Venezuela “has provided us with a space where we can dialogue to advance the agreed agenda.”
The official delegation, which arrived yesterday, pointed out that the international community “is also here, attentive, willing to contribute” as it has always been, and advocated that “it is time to concentrate the discussions at the Table.”
The ELN reported the day before the decision to freeze the cycle of talks scheduled for this month with the Colombian Government, but ratified its attendance at today's extraordinary meeting in Caracas.
The guerrillas stated in the note that in February in Havana, Cuba, they notified the representatives of the Executive that the Dialogue Table “was entering a state of pause” due to an alleged demobilization operation carried out in the department of Nariño, southwest.
They insisted that during the month of March the Government continued to promote demobilization in the aforementioned area, which they described as “conduct contrary to fair play and good faith” that should characterize the talks.
The text confirmed that, nevertheless, a delegation arrived in the capital of Venezuela on Wednesday to attend an extraordinary meeting with representatives of the national government to listen to them and clarify the upcoming steps.
The delegations had their last meeting of talks last February in Havana, where they analyzed the progress in the agreements and the problems faced by the peace dialogue table, in response to which they acquired “commitments for the proper development of the peace process,” they noted in a joint statement.
They also reaffirmed continuing with the activities provided for in the agreements and carrying out an “evaluation of the efforts and commitments during the seventh cycle.”
The Government and the ELN have signed 26 agreements to date, including community participation and a national ceasefire extended for one year, until August 3, 2024. (Text and photo: PL)
