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Caracas (AFP) – The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas agreed to discuss a bilateral ceasefire during a second cycle of negotiations that will start on February 13 in Mexico, the parties announced this Saturday in Caracas.
In Mexico, “a bilateral ceasefire will begin to be discussed and agreed, in addition there will be a joint examination of the achievements and difficulties in the implementation of the agreements made in the first cycle,” according to a joint communiqué read by a Mexican delegate in peace talks.
“After the extraordinary meeting of the peace talks table between the Government of Colombia and the ELN, held between January 17 and 21, 2023, the second cycle of negotiations was set for February 13 in Mexico,” added the text.
The parties discussed “with a view to overcoming the differences recently presented and which were discussed in this extraordinary meeting,” indicated another statement read by General Carlos Martínez Mendoza, representative of the Government of Venezuela, a guarantor country of the process along with Cuba, Norway, Chile and Mexico.
“Confidence came out strengthened” after confusing announcement of ceasefire
The friction came after Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on December 31 a bilateral ceasefire agreement until June 30 with the ELN, two FARC dissident groups, the Clan del Golfo drug gang, and the Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada, a group of paramilitary origin.
Three days later, ELN representatives denied having agreed to any truce, which led to a “crisis” in the negotiations.
“We believe that this situation of momentary misunderstanding was completely overcome and the table was strengthened,” the head of the Colombian government delegation, former guerrilla Otty Patiño, told reporters after the meeting ended.
“Confidence came out strengthened,” added Patiño when taking stock of the meeting.
In its sixth attempt to negotiate peace, the ELN, with a presence in 20% of Colombia’s municipalities, as well as border regions with Venezuela and Ecuador, ended a first stage of talks in Caracas on December 12, without agreeing to a halt. bilateral fire.
Up in arms since 1964, the ELN has only agreed to a bilateral ceasefire once, in 2017, while maintaining a peace process with the government of Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018). The unprecedented truce was broken after 100 days due to rebel bombing attacks on state oil pipelines.
