UNITED NATIONS, Oct 5 (NNN-Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla to seize opportunity for ending deadly conflict.
Through a statement issued by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the top UN official “strongly commends the decision announced today by the government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army to resume peace dialogues.”
Guterres urged both parties “to fully seize this opportunity to bring an end to a deadly conflict that has lasted for decades, and whose resolution is critical for expanding the scope of peace in the country.”
The secretary-general “is hopeful that Colombians can demonstrate once again that even the most entrenched conflicts can be resolved through dialogue,” said the statement.
Peace talks between the Colombian government and the ELN began in 2017, but were suspended in January 2019 after the guerrilla group carried out a car bomb attack that killed over 20 people.
The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) insurgent group on Tuesday announced the restart of peace negotiations, after a three-year hiatus.
The announcement was made at a joint press conference of top ELN leadership and a team of negotiators representing the Colombian government in Caracas, Venezuela.
Venezuela is one of the guarantor countries in the negotiation process, which was launched over six years ago but halted in 2019 by former Colombian president Ivan Duque.
His successor, Gustavo Petro, has made restarting peace negotiations a priority in his government since taking office in August. — NNN-XINHUA
