MADRID 25 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The peace delegation of the Government of Colombia announced this Monday that it will resume the negotiation table with the guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in January 2025, after the meeting held last week to reactivate a dialogue that had remained frozen. several months.
“We conclude with the decision to give new scope to this task of the dialogue table,” says the statement, which does not specify where this new meeting will be held.
He does emphasize that this new meeting will have the objectives of evaluating the development of the agreements, “introducing correctives”, preventing the repetition of actions that weaken the process, resuming Mexico’s agenda, evaluating and defining a ceasefire, as well as developing the participation of society.
The statement also highlights the nearly 30 agreements that have been reached so far, “an accumulation never before achieved in the history of talks with this armed rebel organization.”
“They have been achievements in the midst of great difficulties,” said the Government, which, however, has reproached the ELN for having continued carrying out attacks after the end of the ceasefire that has cost the lives of “young soldiers” and ” to members of the guerrilla”, in addition to all the problems that it generates for the local populations.
“We are aware of the fatigue of violence and the clamor for these dialogues to advance with greater speed and effectiveness (…) however, this imperative need should not lead us to give in to the temptation to produce results at all costs (…) our will to persist in building the most complete agreement,” he noted.
The Government’s announcement comes shortly after an attack with explosives against a military detachment in the town of Puerto Jordán, in Arauca. Waiting to determine if the ELN is behind these actions. Last week, five soldiers died in an attack attributed to the guerrilla in Antioquia
An attack by the ELN in September that resulted in the death of two soldiers and left around thirty people injured precisely motivated the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, to freeze negotiations with the guerrilla.
In recent days, Petro has shown himself willing to resume a bilateral ceasefire in order to advance in the negotiation and thus prevent “more young people in uniforms of the Army of the Constitution and children of the country’s workers from continuing to die in droves.” .