COLOMBIA:
Government, ELN Continue Talks Under Wraps
Patricia Grogg and Constanza Vieira

HAVANA,  (IPS) - Delegates of the Colombian government and the insurgent National Liberation Army (ELN) are continuing their talks in Havana, but this time without any speeches or statements to the press, in contrast to previous meetings.

The reason for the reserve is the enormous pressure for the ELN -- Colombia’s second-largest rebel group -- to agree to a ceasefire. If that is achieved, this "working meeting" will officially become the fifth round of preliminary talks aimed at paving the way for formal peace negotiations.

In that case, the "commission of guarantors", made up of representatives of Colombian civil society, will fly to Havana.

In December, the commission launched a timetable proposing the start of a ceasefire for May 1.

Since the fourth round, in October 2006, six or seven similar working meetings have been held, in Caracas and in the Casa de Paz ("peace house") in the northwestern Colombian city of Medellín, on the initiative of the commission of guarantors.

Colombian President Álvaro Uribe’s high commissioner for peace Luis Carlos Restrepo, Colombia’s ambassador to Cuba Julio Londoño, and ELN commanders Pablo Beltrán, Francisco Galán and Juan Carlos Cuéllar are taking part in the meeting that began Sunday, four days after it was initially scheduled to start.

Beltrán, the ELN’s number three, was recognised by the Colombian government in January as the guerrilla group’s new representative in the preliminary talks that Havana has hosted since December 2005.

Until the fourth round, held Oct. 20-25, the insurgent group’s delegation was headed by the ELN’s military chief, Antonio García.

According to Colombian press reports, the presence of Beltrán, one of the rebel leaders closest to ‘Gabino' (Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista), head of the ELN Central Command, is expected to ensure "the formal start" of peace talks.

The plan is for the fifth round of exploratory talks to make progress on outlining an agenda for the peace negotiations. But the delegates are reportedly still far from agreeing on an agenda.

"Perhaps there will be no concrete results in this round," economist and industrialist Moritz Ackermann commented to the press in Bogotá. "That is why the expectations are lower, which could be good for the process. But the different parties have worked seriously in Caracas and in the Casa de Paz to achieve this level of trust."

Ackermann is a member of the commission of guarantors, along with Álvaro Jiménez, the coordinator of the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines; Professor Alejo Vargas; former high commissioner for peace Professor Daniel García Peña, who is the head of the non-governmental Planeta Paz (Peace Planet) organisaion; and civil society representative Gustavo Ruiz.

On this occasion the guarantors are staying in Bogotá, "as a signal that we're ready whenever they need us, and that if concrete steps are taken, civil society will back them up to the best of its ability," Ackermann said.

A source familiar with the history of the efforts to bring about peace talks with the ELN told IPS that when Beltrán is designated to attend talks, "it's a sign that the ELN are ready to negotiate seriously."

Beltrán is a highly respected thinker in the ELN and knows his people well, the source added.

Prior to this week’s meeting in Havana, it was announced that the delegations would make progress towards the signing of a "basic agreement" with two fundamental premises: building an atmosphere for peace, and civil society participation in the process.

The ELN, which has an estimated 2,500 to 5,000 members, is Colombia’s second largest guerrilla group after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Conflicts between the two rebel groups have given rise to tensions which may affect the talks.

In at least three areas -- the southwestern provinces of Cauca and Nariño, and the eastern province of Arauca -- guerrillas from both leftwing rebel armies have clashed since late 2005 over control of territory and associated sources of income, including drug trafficking, according to several sources consulted by IPS.

FARC Commander Manuel Marulanda and the ELN Central Command exchanged notes last week agreeing on the need to "abstain from further action under any pretext."

The Central Command suggested to FARC that this statement, originally in Marulanda's note, be converted into an "order for an immediate cessation of the conflict" between the two groups.

According to official sources, this "war between guerrillas" has already caused the deaths of between 300 to 500 people, many of them civilians.

It now remains to be seen whether the communications bring an end to the killing.

Another part of this unpromising context is the crisis in the Uribe administration caused by the scandal that led to the Feb. 19 resignation of Foreign Minister María Consuelo Araújo.

Araújo said she was stepping aside to avoid interfering in the trial of her father, brother and cousin, who are accused of ties with far-right paramilitary groups.

Her successor, Fernando Araújo (no relation) was rescued by the Colombian army on Jan. 5 after being held hostage by the FARC for six years.

President Uribe lent his support to María Consuelo Araújo on Friday and Saturday, saying not only that she was a competent official, but also that she was a victim of circumstance in the longstanding armed conflict.

In government circles, the arrest of Uribe's former Intelligence tsar, Jorge Noguera, is considered far more serious. Noguera is accused of allowing paramilitaries to infiltrate the Administrative Department of Security (DAS), which he directed for the first three years of the Uribe administration, begun in 2002.

In addition, eight members of Congress from the government alliance are in prison, six more could be arrested and one is a fugitive from justice, and there are dozens more who may face charges.