At this time, the presentation of the National Participation Committee is advancing, with which the process of participation of society in the construction of peace in the dialogues between the Government and the ELN begins.
The event held in Corferias (Bogotá) was attended by the President of the Republic, the Peace delegations of the National Government and the National Liberation Army – ELN, as well as representatives of civil society.
The event began with various cultural acts and then the names that make up the aforementioned committee were read, including Amando Tascon, Bru Mac Master, Carlos Arturo Gallego, Dela Guerrero, Alfonso Isuasti Rodríguez, and Halirio Uribe.
According to the Executive, the National Participation Committee is a special and transitory instance, articulated to the Peace Dialogues Table, which will play a fundamental role as the body in charge of designing and promoting the participation of society in the process of peace.
Representatives of the government and ELN delegations made small interventions at the public event, highlighting the importance of these spaces for peace talks.
“Overcome political, structural violence and establish a new democracy, improving the representative one and, in turn, giving strength to participatory democracy (…) We will have obstacles, difficulties, but we are all looking for a way out. You can count on the ELN “, held María Consuelo Tapias, ELN negotiator.
In the act, Monsignor Héctor Fabio Henao, representative of the Episcopal Conference, also spoke, who stressed that “great courage is required to follow this path of peace” and stressed that “we want to live not as enemies or adversaries, but as brother builders of peace of a shared path”.
José Félix Lafaurie, president of the Colombian Federation of Cattlemen (Fedegán), indicated that they will fulfill the commitment acquired with the issue related to land to achieve comprehensive rural reform.
“We have the enormous responsibility to restore Colombia’s lost faith (…) we will fulfill the commitment to achieve comprehensive rural reform,” said Lafaurie.
For his part, Pablo Beltrán, a member of the ELN Central Command, described this National Participation Committee as historic, stressing the importance of Colombians in these processes.
“Never before have we had the opportunity to have a national participation council. That, for us, is historic, because for many decades we have said that this cannot be resolved by a dialogue between the two, the government and the guerrillas. For the problems of Colombia this is insufficient”
It is important to mention that this Thursday the Bilateral, National and Temporary Ceasefire Agreement – CFBNT also entered into force for 180 days, until January 29, 2024.
“You have to pay the social debt first than the external debt. Give back the social character to the State. Stop repressing and stop exterminating with state and parastatal agencies. And that corruption with social oversight organizations ends, ”said Beltrán.
In his speech, President Gustavo Petro mentioned that “never in contemporary history has the ELN reached that position and speak face to face with the diversity of Colombia, with the State with which it has lived through a war that has been going on since 1964 “.
“There is a political division there, those who want to produce fear, those who want to produce hope, this can be a political category,” said the president regarding the method used by this armed group for war.
Live broadcast:
🔴 #EnDirecto | Public Act of Installation of the National Participation Committee.#PeaceWithParticipation
– Colombian Presidency 🇨🇴 (@infopresidencia) August 3, 2023
News in development…