The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, in a security council, in the south of Bolívar, this Saturday, August 20. Presidency of Colombia
The Colombian government takes another step to re-establish talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN).
President Gustavo Petro has announced that he has authorized the suspension of the arrest and extradition orders against the negotiators of this guerrilla who remain in Havana.
"I want to announce that by decree, signed yesterday, I have authorized the restoration of the protocols, once again allowing the negotiators to reconnect with their organization, suspending arrest and extradition orders for those negotiators so that they can begin a dialogue with the ELN." , assured the president this Saturday, at the end of a security council in the municipality of San Pablo, Bolívar.
The president's announcement specifies one more step towards the resumption of the process with this guerrilla, suspended in 2019 under the Government of Iván Duque.
Last week, the foreign minister, Álvaro Leyva, and the peace commissioner, Danilo Rueda, had announced from Cuba that the Petro Executive would seek legal mechanisms to move towards the reestablishment of the dialogues, which after their breakup four years ago left ELN negotiators in limbo.
Duque, in addition to ignoring the established protocols in the event of a break, had ordered the capture of the guerrilla leaders, so they remained trapped on the island ever since.
The decision that President Petro has communicated this Saturday firmly establishes the return of the dialogues with this organization and allows those who are in Cuba to return to Colombia to meet with the leadership, as a fundamental step to re-install a negotiating table.
Since the announcement, last week, of the willingness of both parties to resume talks, the ELN has released 15 people, in two actions that the Government has highlighted as signs of the armed group's interest in advancing a process that allows reaching a peace agreement.
The commissioner, Danilo Rueda, assured from Havana that the State will also look for a way to demonstrate the commitment in the same direction.
“The ELN will take the necessary steps to resume the talks.
Both parties agree on the need to start the dialogue process to demonstrate the real will of the Colombian Government and the ELN to seek total, stable, lasting and sustainable peace,” said Rueda from Cuba.
[News in development.
There will be an update soon]
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