about twenty of former ministers, former peace negotiators and academics presented a manifesto with proposals to improve the total peace initiative of the Colombian governmentwhich includes recommendations on topics such as the cessation of hostilities, public order and political objectives.
“Those of us who sign this document share a deep interest in eradicating the use of weapons as a resource to induce social change, as well as overcoming violence“, pointed out the signatories of the “Manifesto for Total Peace”.
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The document was signed, among others, by the Colombian ambassador to the Netherlands, Eduardo Pizarro; the former Minister of Defense, Rafael Pardo, and Juan Camilo Restrepo, former chief peace negotiator of the Government with the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN), as well as by Moisés Wasserman, former rector of the National University.
Total peace is one of the main Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who seeks to negotiate an agreement or bring to justice the different armed groups that operate in the country. Likewise, the president announced on December 31 a ceasefire for six months with the guerrillas of ELN, the Central Staff (the main group of FARC dissidents), the Segunda Marquetalia (another FARC dissident), the Clan del Golfo and the paramilitaries of the Sierra Nevada.
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However, days later the ELN, which is the only group that has an open formal peace negotiation with the government, He said that he did not join that pact because it was announced without having been agreed at the negotiating table and unilaterally.
The Government also ended the ceasefire with the gulf clanthe main criminal gang in the country, because it considers that this group broke it during a violent mining strike that lasted 33 days in the region of Lower Caucain northwestern Colombia.
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Proposals of the signatories
Among the proposals, formulated by the “experiences accumulated by different governments“, is that during the negotiations with the illegal armed groups it is necessary that the State “permanently exercise their obligation to guarantee public order“.
“Weaknesses or hesitations in this field can stimulate and even strengthen criminal activities“, they pointed out and added that”nothing prevents a cessation of hostilities from being able and should be agreed from now on“, what they consider a “clear commitment of the illegal armed groups to not affect the civilian population as a sign of a clear commitment to peace“.
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Another recommendation is that the “The logic of total peace leads to a unitary peace, especially if it is intended, as it should be, to be achieved by a single government“.”As for the negotiations themselves, experience indicates that it is necessary to adopt limited agendas and a certain sequence that allows addressing the substantive issues first and then, depending on them, the rules of implementation.“, they highlighted.
Faced with negotiations with dissidents and repeat offendersexperts suggested “proceed with special caution to avoid a vicious cycle of negotiations, fractures, breaches and new agreements“.
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“The ideal would even be for these groups to take advantage of what was already agreed in Havana with the FARC-EP, given that almost all of their current leaders (…) endorsed those agreements at the X Conference (of the former guerrilla ) held in the Llanos del Yarí in 2016“, they added.
EFE
