MADRID, January 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londoño has agreed to speak with the National Liberation Army (ELN) to negotiate a peace deal with Gustavo Petro’s government.
In a letter to ELN commander Antonio García, published on the social network Twitter, Londoño expressed his desire to add his grain of sand to “the daunting task of achieving the total peace that the Colombian nation craves”.
“Dear Antonio: There are many reasons that motivate this letter. One of them is, of course, that the search for a political and negotiated solution to the armed conflict between the Colombian state and the ELN is a public matter and of national interest.” The ex-FARC leader has started his letter.
Londoño recalled that the success of this new attempt to stop the armed insurgency depends on the well-being of hundreds of communities and the preservation of thousands of lives, a reason that has led him to develop “the difficulties that arise help a political negotiation”.
“The experience we had at the Havana peace talks that led to the signing of the final peace agreement between the Colombian state and the defunct FARC-EP showed us that the enemies of peace are strong and powerful. However, none of them are part of the current government and, on the contrary, they pursue any attempt at a negotiated solution to the conflict that is ongoing in the country,” snapped Londoño.
In this sense, he has commended the current Colombian government, “democratically elected by millions of Colombians who dream of a just and peaceful country”, for its deep commitment to “silence the guns of all armed actors”.
“It is obvious that with his election, the majority of Colombia has expressed a clear no to violence and war and voted to end the use of weapons in politics,” argues the ex-guerrilla.
Londoño has stressed the importance of acting for the benefit of the majority of the country and addressing unnecessary tensions between the two parties at the negotiating table with speed, scale and generosity.
“I am confident that the internal deliberations in the ELN militancy as a whole will be fed with proposals aimed at reaching a peace agreement with the Colombian state without delay. To this end, I offer the experience of the defunct FARC-FP, believing that respectful exchange always brings forth new elements for a negotiated solution to ongoing violence,” he added.
“In this way, I am ready to speak to you, Antonio, if you wish, in the place and under the conditions that President Petro’s administration and the authorities allow. My wish is to add a grain of sand to the daunting task of achieving the total peace that the Colombian nation craves,” he added, sharing his belief that peace in the country “must begin once and for all”.