The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas announced Saturday an agreement to open the second phase of the dialogue process in Mexico on February 13.
The announcement is the result of the extraordinary meeting held between January 17 and this Saturday, January 21, in Caracas, Venezuela, which has concluded with a «successful balance», according to the common note.
In the new cycle of dialogue «the issue of the participation of society in the construction of peace will be addressed» and simultaneously, «a bilateral cease-fire will begin to be discussed and agreed upon».
«The Dialogue Table values the frankness and depth of the discussion process» and asks «to maintain the mechanisms of communication during the periods in which it is not meeting», in reference to the recent exchange of declarations that have endangered the peace process.
The High Commissioner for Peace of the Government has published the note in a message on Twitter in which he highlights that «peace is advancing», while the senator of the former FARC guerrilla Iván Cepeda has highlighted that the «dialogue table Government-ELN is getting stronger».
The rift followed the announcement by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who unveiled a bilateral ceasefire on December 31. This news was not well received by the ELN, which two days later denied it through its Central Command.
«We appreciate the willingness of the parties to overcome the differences that have recently arisen, we salute the decision of the parties to move forward with what has been agreed. We ratify to the parties our commitment as guarantor country for the success of the process», highlighted the Venezuelan guarantor, Carlos Martinez.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
