HAVANA, Aug 13 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Colombian government recognizes the legitimacy of the delegation of the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla for peace talks, Colombia’s new high commissioner for peace Danilo Rueda told a news conference.
“We have witnessed how ELN shares the Colombian government’s peace will,” said Rueda, who was on a visit to Cuba as part of an official delegation to contact ELN leaders.
Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Alvaro Leyva said on Thursday the Colombian government seeks to resume peace talks with the ELN guerrilla in the Cuban capital.
“The participants in this first meeting are committed to giving our best to cement the stable, longstanding, and sustainable peace that Colombia and humanity deserve,” Rueda said.
The statement came days after Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla fighter, was sworn in as Colombia’s first left-wing president.
Peace talks between the government and the ELN began in 2017 during the administration of former President Juan Manuel Santos but were suspended in January 2019 after the guerrilla group launched a car bomb attack that killed over 20 people. — NNN-XINHUA
