This phase of talks started on August 14, with the parties’ conviction to transcend the participation of society in this process and the transformations as a basis for peace and a national agreement.
Although the results of this period of talks are unknown, local media reported that the fifth cycle would take place in Mexico after a two-month break, where the second cycle also took place. The first one was held in Caracas, and the third in Cuba. The launching of the National Participation Committee on August 3 and the six-month bilateral ceasefire in the entire Colombian territory, which came into effect the same day, are among the significant agreements of this process.
The Committee’s launching is an unprecedented event in the history of the search for peace with the ELN. It underscores that the distinctive sign of this process is the beginning of the democratic peace construction with the participation of Colombian society in its diversity, the government and the ELN state.
The Bilateral, National, and Temporary Ceasefire Agreement implies implementing the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (MMV) nationwide and opening communication channels to avoid confrontations, the parties affirmed.
Shortly before the beginning of this cycle, Colombia’s Attorney General Francisco Barbosa announced in a press release and in the media, an alleged plot to kill him, as well as Senator María Fernanda Cabal and retired army General Eduardo Zapateiro.
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