COLOMBIA:
Talks with ELN Halfway
to Framework Accord
By
Patricia Grogg
HAVANA , (IPS) -
This week’s round of
exploratory talks
between the Colombian
government and the
insurgent National
Liberation Army (ELN) in
the Cuban capital came
to an end Friday halfway
to a framework accord
for starting formal
peace talks. One of the
main hurdles to an
agreement is the
question of verification
of the eventual
ceasefire.
"They (government
officials) believe we
are finished off, but
nothing could be farther
from the truth," said an
ELN source close to the
talks, who confirmed to
IPS that the rebel group
rejects the Álvaro Uribe
government’s demand that
the guerrillas gather in
a delimited area in
order to ensure a
ceasefire.
The source said that
concentrating the
members of the ELN in
one area would amount to
"suicide."
Senator Gloria Ramírez,
who represents the
Colombian legislature on
the National Peace
Council (CNP), said
Wednesday that the
advisory body presented
"a few alternative
formulas" to avoid
intransigence on either
side and keep the
process moving towards a
framework accord or "acuerdo
base".
"When you’re talking
about verification,
there are two
components: the
delimited area and
identification of
combatants," said
Ramírez. "With regard to
the latter, there has
been some progress,
because it is no longer
seen as necessary for
the ELN to identify each
and every combatant. On
the other hand, options
are being sought for the
delimited area to be
larger."
The senator mentioned
that the initiatives
include the design of a
road map for the release
of hostages held by the
ELN, which would be a
relief "for the
humanitarian tragedy
that the country is
experiencing."
"Both the government and
the ELN have been
particularly receptive"
to that idea, she said.
The proposals set forth
by the CNP, which was
recently revived on the
ELN’s initiative, were
placed on the agenda of
the talks held Monday
through Friday by the
government’s Peace
Commissioner Alvaro
Restrepo, and Pablo
Beltrán, the head of the
ELN negotiators.
"After this latest round
of talks, there will be
another recess," said
the guerrilla source,
who did not elaborate on
when the next round
would take place.
"We have the sensation
that there has been a
reaffirmation of the
political will for this
process to continue
forward," said Ramírez,
one of the 15 members of
the CNP who travelled to
Havana to meet Wednesday
with the government and
guerrilla delegations.
A similar conclusion was
reached by Darío Mejía,
a member of the
government negotiating
commission. "Never
before had so much
progress been made in
talks with the ELN," he
said, after noting that
no one "has left" the
negotiating table since
the preliminary talks
between the Uribe
administration and the
ELN, Colombia’s
second-largest insurgent
group, began in December
2005.
In his view, the
participation of the CNP
is important, as an
advisory body that can
help design peace
policies.
The CNP was created by a
1998 law and is made up
of representatives of
all three branches of
government, oversight
bodies, churches,
central trade unions and
a range of civil society
organisations.
During the meeting with
the CNP, Restrepo
reiterated that his
government is willing to
immediately sign a
framework accord, the
first step of which --
he said -- would be the
release of all hostages
and a halt by the ELN to
the practice of
kidnapping.
Beltrán, however, sees
the process as only
halfway there, because
of "very large
differences."
He said that in the
talks, there are two
ideas of peace: the
rebels’ conception,
which is based on
"social justice,
democracy and
sovereignty," and the
government’s, which is
interested in "the
demobilisation and
disappearance of the ELN."
In a brief meeting with
journalists this week,
the guerrilla chief
described "the process
of building peace" as
fruit "that was green,
is now starting to take
on some colour, and will
ripen."
But in order for it to
ripen, "it is necessary
to wait a little,"
because "the problems we
are facing are very
big."
He said, however, that
there will be a
framework accord aimed
at easing the
humanitarian situation,
bringing about a
ceasefire, and opening
up greater spaces for
participation by
society.
Analysts say the signing
of that accord will
represent a major
qualitative leap in the
preliminary talks
between the ELN and the
government.
Unlike during the first
few rounds of talks in
Havana, which ended with
news briefings, the two
delegations have more
recently avoided contact
with the press. |
