The Colombian government and the ELN guerrillas will hold the third round of negotiations in Cuba aimed at ending nearly six decades of armed conflict, the parties announced on Wednesday (March 8th) in Mexico City.
The date on which this new round will take place, which is a continuation of the talks held in Mexico since February 13, has not been specified.
In a statement announcing the continuation of negotiations on the Caribbean island, the parties " deeply
" thanked
the Cuban government and people for their "
support
" in the search for peace in Colombia for more than four decades.
“Substantial progress”
Havana had hosted the negotiations that led in 2016 to the demobilization of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which for years had been the main guerrilla force in the country.
"
Our government is honored to accept the official request of the government of President Gustavo Petro and the National Liberation Army (ELN) to continue negotiations in Havana,
" Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Twitter.
The parties agreed to rotate host countries for the talks, which the statement said saw "
substantial progress
" in Mexico after the inaugural round in Venezuela.
Although one of the objectives of the dialogue is to lay the foundations for a ceasefire, the representatives have not yet reported progress in this regard.
Talks between the Colombian government and the ELN began in 2018 in Havana under the government of President Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018), to which his successor, Ivan Duque (2018-2022), ended in 2019 at the end of following a guerrilla attack on a police academy in Bogotá, which left 23 dead.