Five ELN guerilla fighters walking in formation while heavily armed. File photo.
On Wednesday night it was announced by President Nicolás Maduro that Venezuela will be a mediator in the peace talks between the Colombian government and Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN).
In response to a request made this Tuesday by the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, the Venezuelan president agreed to be the guarantor of the peace negotiations between Colombia and the ELN.
President Maduro informed that: “A letter arrived from President Gustavo Petro so that Venezuela would agree to become a guarantor of the peace negotiations with the ELN. I told him that once again, as Commander Chávez did, Venezuela will comply with this commitment.”
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Likewise, he stated that just as President Hugo Chávez did at the time to guarantee Colombia’s peace agreements, this time Venezuela agrees to be a mediator in this new peace negotiation.
He specified that Venezuela is committed to peace, security and absolute stability in Colombia, for which it honors the peace of South America, of the entire continent.
“In that I carry the voice of all the people of Venezuela, of the 6.2 million Colombians who live in Venezuela (…) We will go there and to them we will commit all our efforts and work,” Maduro added.
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It is worth remembering that during the presidency of Hugo Chávez, Venezuela was part of the peace agreements between the Government of Colombia and the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP).
In addition, Caracas hosted the exploratory talks and accompanied the initial steps within the peace process opened between ELN and the Colombian government headed by Juan Manuel Santos back in 2016.
One of the main promises Gustavo Petro made during the presidential race that took him to Palacio de Nariño was that in his government he would seek peace negotiations with all sectors involved in the complex civil struggle that has been affecting Colombia since 1958, with some analysts referring to it as a civil war.
Just days after his inauguration, Petro began the process of resuming peace talks with the ELN leaders; from Havana in Cuba, where some of them have been living since former president Iván Duque canceled the peace negotiations that were being held on the Caribbean island.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/DD
