Government of Colombia and National Liberation Army Sign First Agenda of Peace Agreement in Caracas

Orinoco Tribune, May 26, 2024 — 

The government of Colombia and the armed guerrilla movement National Liberation Army (ELN) signed the first point of the peace agreement agenda, as announced in a joint press conference at the end of the peace talks held in Caracas, Venezuela.

“Signing of the first point of the peace agreements: the participation of society in the construction of peace,” the Colombian government representation announced after the latest round of the peace talks with the ELN ended on Saturday, May 25, as scheduled.

The delegations of the Colombian government and the ELN, headed respectively by Vera Grabe and Pablo Beltrán, presented the signed agreement at the post-negotiation press conference. Grabe explained that it is necessary to promote and explain to the entire country the recently signed document, which has enshrined the demands of thousands of people, organizations and communities. According to the chief negotiator of the Colombian government, the text reflects the “spirit of peace” and “looks for ways out and provides solutions.” She emphasized that never before had any negotiation between the ELN and any government gone as far as this one, not only due to the bilateral ceasefire, but above all due to “the possibility of the people participating in the construction of peace.”

Beltrán, representing the ELN, said that the agreement, summarized in about 3,000 words, allows the entire Colombian society to say how the country is doing and what solutions are required to solve its problems. “Not only can they say, but also they commit to finding solutions,” he added. Furthermore, he pointed out the differences with other peace agreements of the past, stating that ELN’s agreement with the government not only seeks pacification, but also the transformation of society. Therefore, although the ELN is willing to change and the government is willing to promote changes, it is essential for society to participate in and commit to the process of change.

The signing of the agreement represents the first tangible result of the negotiations that Colombian President Gustavo Petro has promoted with the ELN as part of his Total Peace policy. It also means the realization of the first point of the Mexico Agreement, the guiding document of the peace process, according to El País.

A few minutes after the government’s announcement, the ELN released the first page of the document signed by both parties, which states that peace “requires all voices, all peoples, communities, processes and ways of building a nation.” Along with the image of the signed first page of the agreement, the ELN released a link of the full agreement.

The document specifies that both parties are committed to the security of the people and open to the free participation of all the communities and collectives in the peace process, as well as to compliance with the Bilateral, National and Temporary Ceasefire Agreement.

The agreement adds that the parties would resolve “immediately” the crisis factors “to allow the renewal, activation and continued operation of the monitoring and verification mechanism, and the expansion of the agreed provisions.”

‘This agreement is an important step towards a social and political unity, towards a great national agreement, considered as a path and route to remove violence from politics in Colombia and to solve the multiple problems that the country is experiencing, in order to move through towards peace,” the document states.

It adds that both the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army are committed to not abandoning the peace negotiations.

The head of the Colombian government delegation, Vera Grabe, commented that the agreement is focused on economy, politics, environment, education, and culture.

She said that thousands of people, organizations and communities will be involved at this point, for which the two delegations have carried out “very judicious work” this week, and a decision has been made that “respects the people.”

Diario VEA reported that this important development in the peace process has taken place in the midst of tensions between the Colombian government and the ELN, with each side accusing the other of having violated previous agreements. A few days ago the ELN complained that its “alleged dissidence” in Nariño is the work of Petro’s government and “a creation of the military forces,” which is part of “a plan organized with full awareness” of the government of Gustavo Petro and “officiated by its commissioner Otty Patiño.”