ELN peace negotiators leave Cuba with the goal of reactivating peace talks

Maduro agrees to act as guarantor in peace negotiations 2:27

(CNN Spanish) --

The guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN) announced in a statement that its delegation left Cuba this Sunday.

The members of this illegal armed group, who had been on the island since 2018 in peace negotiations with the government of then-president Juan Manuel Santos, thanked the guarantor countries for their efforts in this process.

"Today, with the support of the guarantor countries: the Republic of Cuba, the Kingdom of Norway and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Dialogue Delegation has returned safely and with guarantees," reads the document. .

• Spain says it has "all the willingness" to be able to "contribute" to peace talks between Colombia and the ELN

The office of the high commissioner for peace, Danilo Rueda, issued a statement in which he highlighted this "hopeful result" and pointed out that the Colombian government of Gustavo Petro continues to comply with the application of the protocols agreed between the State and the ELN as a "Fundamental step to achieve total peace."

He added that his office was aware of and accompanied the development of the return operation with "full guarantees."

"The parties involved in this process have the common purpose of achieving the timely reestablishment of the dialogue table with the ELN," he said.

"This is a victory for reason and international law against the purpose of perfidy that the Duque Government sought, not only to circumvent the obligations contracted with the ELN, and with the international community, but also cause serious damage to the people and the Republic of Cuba, for being the host country for the talks in its commitment to the Peace of Colombia," the guerrillas affirm in their statement before leaving Cuba.

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In the protocols agreed with the government of Juan Manuel Santos, it was established that Venezuela was the agreed country for the return of the ELN peace delegates in case the process broke down or if they needed to return to consult with their troops.

On September 14, President Gustavo Petro asked his counterpart Nicolás Maduro to be a guarantor in a possible peace process with the guerrilla group.

A request that Maduro immediately agreed to.

• Venezuela will be "guarantor country" in the negotiation of the Colombian government with the ELN

The Colombian government decided on August 21 to suspend the arrest warrants and extradition requests against the delegates who were in Cuba to facilitate the new peace approaches.

The peace process with the ELN had been "frozen" since September 2018 by decision of then President Iván Duque.

And on January 17, 2019, the situation was complicated by the attack by that guerrilla against a school for police cadets in Bogotá.

Since then, Duque has terminated the dialogue table with that illegal armed group.

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