A joint communiqué circulated on Sunday, and disseminated on Saturday evening on social media, highlighted the “proactive and constructive atmosphere” in the sessions of the first talks held from June 24 to 29.

In the text, the parties agreed on the formation of a technical sub-commission, to which the companions and warrantors of Cuba, Norway and Venezuela will be invited, along with representatives of the Episcopal Conference and the United Nations.

This group is in charge of establishing the “geo-referring in the municipalities, townships and villages, where the Second Marquetalia-Bolivarian Army has representation,” and must present its briefing to the Dialogue Table on July 15.

Signed by Armando Noboa and Walter Mendoza as chief negotiators, respectively, the document announced the holding of a meeting no later than July 20 with the communities of Tumaco, Nariño, and representatives of the delegations for the talks, to present a de-escalation agreement.

It further includes showcasing a timetable to identify quick impact social and economic projects and the accompaniment of the warrantor countries, the UN Verification Mission and the Colombian Episcopal Conference.

The communiqué unfolded that the “National Government will guarantee the necessary security measures for the realization of this encounter,” while the guerrilla committed “not to remain armed or uniformed in municipal capitals and urban centers or on primary and secondary land and fluvial roads.”

The armed group further made a commitment to hand over the “people it has retained, and to respect and guarantee the civilian population,” especially the constitutionally protected communities in the territories where the Second Marquetalia is present.

The joint communiqué specified that the comprehensive implementation of the de-escalation will begin “upon the entry into force of the Presidential Decree of suspension of the offensive military operations,” and in whose zones the “Public Force will provide the security conditions.”

The parties further agreed on elaborating a set of early distribution measures for the “reparation of the victims of the conflict in the zones where activities of territorial transformation for peace are developed,” in addition to prioritizing programs of integral agrarian reform and land restitution.

The joint text thanked Cuba, Norway and Venezuela, the representatives of the Episcopal Conference and the United Nations for their support and accompaniment, and requested Cuba to host the next round of negotiations in Havana in the second week of August.

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