The delegation participating in the second round of peace talks between the Colombian government and the ELN, to begin in Mexico City on February 13, 2022. Photo: Twitter/@williamparra.
This Saturday, February 11, a delegation of Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) arrived in Mexico, for the second round of peace talks with the Colombian government, which is scheduled to begin today, Monday, February 13.
Among the topics that will be discussed are the bilateral ceasefire and the participatory mechanisms of society for the construction of peace in Colombia.
La delegación de paz del eln ya está en México para el inicio del segundo ciclo de conversaciones. Participación de la sociedad en la construcción de paz y cese el fuego bilateral ,los temas de esta conversación pic.twitter.com/hPNoySFtQA
— William Parra (@William_Garra) February 12, 2023
The ELN delegation is comprised of chief negotiator, Pablo Beltrán, accompanied by Gustavo Martínez, Bernardo Téllez, Silvana Guerrero, Isabel Torres, Aureliano Carbonell, Consuelo Tapia and Tomás García Laviana, in addition to legal adviser, Carlos Ruiz, and manager of peace, Violeta Arango.
Upon his arrival in Mexico, the head of the ELN delegation, Pablo Beltrán, stated: “We hope that the work accomplished in this second cycle will be an effective advance and will provide support for the peace process in Colombia.”
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Likewise, Beltrán sent a message to the Colombian youth saying: “the great transformations that our country needs can only be accomplished with struggle, and that struggle without the presence of youth cannot advance.”
Pablo Beltrán, jefe de la delegación del ELN para los diálogos de paz:
"Esperamos que los trabajos en este segundo ciclo sean un efectivo avance para el proceso de paz en Colombia". pic.twitter.com/MMPX2ltZfT
— Mariela López (@MarielaILopez) February 12, 2023
On his behalf, the secretary of foreign relations of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard, pointed out that his country is “a reliable headquarters; it is part of the mediation, and our participation is limited to providing the conditions necessary for dialogue, guaranteeing security and nothing else.”
First round
The first round of talks was held in Caracas and was attended by delegations from Venezuela, Cuba and Norway as guarantor countries. On that occasion, both parties (Colombian government and ELN) confirmed that the meeting reached its end and achieved “highly positive” results.
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Among the agreements reached were:
• An agreement on the Dialogue Agenda
• The institutionalization of the Peace Dialogues Table
• An agreement on humanitarian actions and dynamics
• The pedagogy and communication for peace
Nevertheless, the meeting taking place this Monday in Mexico had to overcome harsh tensions between the ELN and the Colombian government, which included an emergency meeting in Venezuela to calm tensions over a failed bilateral ceasefire.
(RedRadioVE) by Milena Bravo
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/DD
