Colombia, ELN Invite Seven Countries To Accompany Peace Process

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2022) Participants in the talks between the Colombian authorities and the radical left-wing armed group National Liberation Army (ELN) have called on Brazil, Chile and Mexico to act as guarantors of the agreements.

At the same time, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain have been invited to accompany the negotiation process, according to a statement from the participants in the talks, read out on Friday at a press conference in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

In addition, a request was voiced to the United States regarding US willingness to participate in the peace process.

ELN is Colombia's second-largest rebel group after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The Colombian government and several other countries and organizations, including the United States and the European Union, have designated ELN as a terrorist organization.

In August, Colombian President Gustavo Petro suspended arrest warrants for chief ELN negotiators.

Earlier this week, negotiators from the Colombian government and ELN started fresh peace talks in Caracas. According to the Colombian government, the negotiations will rotate among the guarantor states (Venezuela, Cuba and Norway).