The National Police will have representatives at the discussion table with the ELN

The national government’s peace delegation at the talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) announced that there will be a new actor from the Colombian institutions. During the second round of discussions, there will be the presence of delegates from the National Police.

“For the second cycle, the National Police observers of the Military Forces, thus completing the full participation of the armed forces”, confirmed the Office of the High Commissioner for Peaceby announcing that the government delegation was ready to begin the new round of dialogue.

Before the resumption of peace negotiations in November 2022 in Caracas, the Ministry of Defense had expressed the need for the armed forces to participate in the Round Table, which is now supplemented by members of the Police.

He high commissioner thanked the United Mexican States, as guarantor and host country of the second round of dialogues that will take place in Mexico Cityas well as the other accompanying countries such as Venezuela, Chile, Norway and Brazil.

“We will continue to have the permanent support of the Secretary General of the United Nations, through his Special Representative in Colombia and representatives of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia. He Kingdom of Swedenthere Federal Republic of Germanythere Swiss Confederation and the Queen of Spain“, said the OACP.

“The presence of these countries and institutions is a sign of their confidence and their continued support for the consolidation of peace in Colombia”, concluded the office in charge of rapprochement with armed groups and coordinator of peace talks with the ELN. .

The High Commissioner indicated that the government delegation was preparing to begin this second round of talks with an assessment of the progress made, with the support of Sweden, to identify the main challenges. Among them, the adjustment of the agenda of what was defined in 2016 in the last dialogues led by the insurgency.

In addition, they point out that another challenge will be to solve the problems related to the ceasefire, which is one of the objectives that the national government has set and which, in an effort to achieve it last December, has triggered the disagreement of ELN Central Command.

Both delegations have defined this point among the main points of this new cycle, in addition to beginning to address the first point of the aforementioned agenda, which aims to establish mechanisms for the participation of Colombian society in the construction of peace.

Before the new talks in Mexico, the government delegation met the president Gustavo Petro February 8. He expressed the recommendations and acknowledged the progress made so far. Like the political characterization of the ELN, the humanitarian aid to the prisoners of this guerrilla and the humanitarian caravan to the Lower Calima and Middle San Juan.

The latter is one of the first partial agreements aimed at reducing the intensity of the conflict in the areas most affected by the violence, which between January 17 and 21 went there to consult the communities. The first conclusions have been drawn, but the process is still under construction.

The OACP said the impasses the table had at the start of 2023, after the extraordinary meeting in Caracas, had been overcome. “We are sure that during the cycle of peace dialogues that is beginning, progress will be made on the agreed issues and, at the end, the leadership of the Dialogue Table will be strengthened”, concluded the High Commissioner.

The ELN delegation also announced its arrival in Mexico with the ceasefire and citizen participation as fundamental issues. The Table will resume from February 13.