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Colombian Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva stressed that this is a policy that should be implemented at the continental level, while indicating that President Gustavo Petro “is an enemy of war regardless of latitude.”
During the first session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, OAS, the body gave its support to the “total peace” initiative promoted in Colombia by the government of Gustavo Petro.
Alvaro Leyva, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, expressed the Executive’s gratitude to the organization while pointing out that “the search for peace is a dream that must be transmitted to the OAS.”
The diplomat stressed that, since the 1991 Constituent Assembly, Colombia’s commitment was “to promote the integration of Latin American communities” and added that it is a goal “of transcendence” for the multilateral organization.
Calls on the organs of the OAS, the member states, and the international community to continue supporting the construction of a stable and lasting peace in Colombia; and supports initiatives that contribute to strengthening the gender perspective?https://t.co/tsXgK0S4Sz pic.twitter.com/slxjZQCyRo
– Colombian Foreign Ministry (@CancilleriaCol) October 6, 2022
At the same time, he stressed that, since that year, the country has continued its search for peace with groups outside the law, such as the extinct FARC guerrilla. Precisely, he highlighted the peace agreements signed in Havana in 2016 and assured that what the current Administration is seeking is “a total political peace, a total peace not only as a political negotiation but as a negotiation of justice.”
Álvaro Leyva: total peace should be applied at the continental level
The high Colombian representative defended that the peace strategy of the Petro Government has gone beyond the national territory and that an example of this is the rapprochement with Caracas.
“This explains the reason for the approach to the Republic of Venezuela through its president, Mr. (Nicolás) Maduro, to open the borders, 2,219 kilometers of borders (which) were previously closed without any connection with a State with which we have to see because the march towards freedom is achieved jointly,” he added.
At the same time, he stressed that President Petro “is an enemy of war, no matter the latitude,” while affirming that it is necessary to understand that the current great war is the climate crisis. He indicated that this situation “compromises everyone” because “the planet is being destroyed.”
Prior to his arrival in Lima, the Colombian Foreign Ministry had reported that Leyva’s main objective was to obtain the support of the Assembly for the strategy. In addition, the official has scheduled meetings with representatives of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CourtIDH) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to “address the main aspects of the bilateral agendas and strengthen their ties in terms of sustainability, gender equality, migration and fight against change”, among others.
What is the “total peace” strategy?
Since his arrival at the Casa de Nariño last August, Petro began implementing his “total peace” policy. The objective is to put an end to the conflicts that Colombia is still experiencing.
According to the president, all the armed actors in the national territory have shown a willingness to work. One of the main examples is the peace talks that are taking place with the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army.
Precisely in this regard, last Tuesday, both the Government and the criminal group reported that the negotiations will resume in November. The parties signed an agreement in Venezuela, a country that will be the guarantor of the process together with Norway and Cuba.
This is the most advanced dialogue table because the Executive of Juan Manuel Santos created negotiation protocols. However, the talks stalled during the presidency of Iván Duque.
with EFE
