Colombia and ELN Reach 4 Agreements

Humanitarian actions are a fundamental part of the negotiations.

The delegations of the Colombian government and the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) met this Monday in Caracas for the first meeting of the first cycle of peace negotiations.

After sitting down to talk on November 21, they announced the first four agreements, which will allow the process to continue in its second cycle. This second cycle will take place in January, in Mexico, on a date yet to be agreed upon.

In a statement, the government and the ELN announced four agreements: the definition of an agenda, the institutionalization of the roundtable, humanitarian actions, and the pedagogy of the process.

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The spokesperson for Venezuela, Carlos Martínez, said “our government ratifies cooperation so that peace can continue and can be achieved, we are attentive to accompany any initiative for regional peace.”

In a joint statement, the representatives of Chile and Norway, acting as guarantor countries to the dialogue, stated that “this peace process means a light of hope in a world submerged in destructive tensions and wars. It is a commitment to dialogue, to face the causes and consequences of armed conflicts.”

They detailed the agreements reached during this first cycle:

1- Agreement on the Dialogue Agenda: the Table took up as a guide the agenda agreement and its essential axes signed in March 201. In addition, it made changes to it by consensus. These elements were produced in the new national and international context. The adjustments were discussed and approved and are in the drafting process.

2- Agreement on the institutionalization of the Roundtable for Peace Dialogues: A regulation was prepared that regulates and enhances its work. The basic principles and procedures for its operation were adopted, establishing protocols with clear rules for the delegations of Colombia’s government and the ELN, with mention of the support of the international community that materializes through guarantor countries and their role as witnesses, the presence of the United Nations as a permanent accompanying body, the reactivation of the Group of Countries of Support, Accompaniment and Cooperation (GPAAC), and the Episcopal Conference of Colombia as a permanent accompanying institution .

3- Agreement on Humanitarian Actions and Dynamics: The parties recognized the serious situation of violence that occur in the territories and decided to implement a partial agreement for emergency care, which will begin in January 2023, on Bajo Calima (Valle del Cauca) and Middle San Juan (Chocó).

Likewise, they recognize the serious humanitarian situation that exists in Colombia’s prisons and agreed to provide humanitarian emergency attention to a group of political prisoners of the National Liberation Army (ELN).

4- Pedagogy and Communications: Work was carried out to agree on the communication and pedagogy strategy and plan, with the purpose of strengthening and expanding the support and participation of Colombian society and the international community in the dialogue process.

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Both delegations highlighted the respectful, transparent, and cordial atmosphere that was experienced in these weeks of work, which increases the hopes of Colombia and the region for an integral and definitive peace.

Reproducimos el 'Comunicado a la opinión pública: Culmina exitosamente el primer ciclo de los Diálogos de Paz', leído hoy, 12 de diciembre, desde la sede de la mesa de conversaciones entre el Gobierno Nacional y el ELN en Caracas, Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/u2Lqx2dooZ
— Alto Comisionado Paz (@ComisionadoPaz) December 12, 2022