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Peace talks between Colombian government and FARC (2012-2014)

The dialogue or peace negotiations between the government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC, also known as the peace process in Colombia, refer to the discussions that are taking place between the Government of Colombia (on behalf of the State) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC. These dialogues have taken place in Havana and Oslo and aim to to achieve an agreement to put an end to almost half a century of armed conflict . This is the first time they are sitting down to dialogue, after the failed Caguán dialogues (1999-2001), and the subsequent eleven years of Plan Colombia.

The negotiations are based on a "General Agreement for the Termination of the conflict and the Construction of a Stable and Lasting Peace", and formally began on October 18, 2012. The exploratory talks consisted of secrets approaches for six months. A second period consists of the construction of the agreements (the actual discussion of the Agenda) and a third period will be the implementation of these. The points of the Agenda are 1. Integral agricultural development policy, 2. Political participation, 3. End of the Conflict, 4. Solution to the problem of illicit drugs, 5. Victims and 6. Implementation, verification and countersignature.  

The delegation appointed by the Santos administration is led by former vice president Humberto de la Calle. Other members of the delegation are Sergio Jaramillo, Frank Pearl (ex-commissioner for peace), Luis Carlos Villegas (Colombian businessman, who was appointed ambassador in the U.S. and left the peace talks in April 2014), Alejandro Eder (presidential adviser), the retired Police General Oscar Naranjo, and the also retired Army General Enrique Mora Rangel, among others. The FARC delegation comprises "Iván Márquez" (chief negotiator), "Pablo Catatumbo" (who joined the team months after the process started), "Ricardo Téllez", Jesús Santrich", "Simón Trinidad" (who is being held prisoner in the United States), "Andrés París", "Marco León Calarcá", Tanja Nijmeijer (insurgent of Dutch origin), "Victoria Sandino", among others.

1 Background
2 Negotiation
  2.1 Negotiators
      2.1.1 Commission of the FARC
      2.1.2 Government Commission
  2.2 Points for discussion
      2.2.1 1. Comprehensive agricultural development policy
      2.2.2 2. political Participation
      2.2.3 3. End of Conflict
      2.2.4 4. Solution to the problem of illicit drugs
      2.2.5 5. victims
3 replies
       3.1 In Colombia
       3.2 International
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
7 internal links

Background

During Álvaro Uribe's term, former Commissioner for Peace Frank Pearl, together with other government officials, representing the government of Álvaro Uribe, sought to negotiate secretly with the FARC, under conditions similar to the present ones: no ceasefire or demilitarized zone. When he was elected president, Juan Manuel Santos received a "joint report" from Frank Pearl, through which he learned about the failed approaches.

In 2011, after the enactment of the Victims and Land Restitution Law, newly elected President Santos let the guerrillas know, through secret messages, that he wanted to continue the discussions between insurgency and government. These contacts led to the establishment of secret meetings in Cuba. The government's delegates to such meetings were presidential adviser for reintegration Alejandro Eder and Jaime Avendaño, presidency official from the government of Belisario Betancur, while the FARC delegation was made up by "Ricardo Téllez", guerrilla who had been captured in Venezuela but who had been released during Uribe's term and "Andrés París", one of the ideologists of the organization, who had also participated in the Caguán talks. Finally, after several months of discussion, the parties established an Agenda and organized the place where the dialogue would continue.

Once the parameters according to which the next meeting would take place were established, Santos included Frank Pearl -minister of environment- in his delegation, as well as national security adviser Sergio Jaramillo, former vice-president Humberto de la Calle and, finally, his brother Enrique Santos, former director of the newspaper El Tiempo. In response, the FARC appointed Mauricio Jaramillo, commander of the Eastern Block, Marco Calarcá, known for his expertise on negotiations, Ricardo Téllez, also called "the chancellor of the FARC", and finally Andrés París, all members of the Central High Command of the FARC.

Having appointed their respective delegations, the government and the FARC appointed the countries of Cuba and Norway as guarantors to the peace process. Cuba, for having hosted the first meetings and Norway for being a country with a large tradition of conflict management. Subsequently, the parties discussed the need to appoint more facilitators and that's when Venezuela and Chile were chosen, as countries that would accompany the peace talks.

In February 2012, both participants and facilitating countries came together in a strategic place for further discussions. In order to preserve the confidentiality of the process, the two delegations maintained separated from each other and didn't speak with Cuban civilians. In August, ten sessions were held; each one consisted of four to eight days. In total, there were sixty-five sessions. During those months, the government negotiating team was constantly traveling between Cuba and Colombia, with the exception of Frank Pearl, who spent all the time in Cuba.

In August 2012, in the city of Cartagena, Uribe told a medium that the government of Santos was negotiating secretly with the FARC in Cuba; statements that were rejected by Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón and the Chancellor Angela Holguín. However, days passed by and the rumors increased. On August 27, in one of its broadcasts, the TV station TeleSUR gave more information on the subject. Hours later, the leader of the National Liberation Army, "Gabino", reported that his organization was interested in the alleged peace talks as well. Afterwards, President Santos confirmed that indeed he was talking with the FARC in Cuba.

On September 4, 2012, after claims of former President Álvaro Uribe on the government's negotiations with the FARC in Cuba (and subsequent denial of the facts, by the Foreign Minister María Angela Holguín), President Juan Manuel Santos confirmed the news via a speech. He said that they would not "repeat any mistakes made in the past" that he would proceed carefully, and that the army would continue military operations against the guerrilla forces in Colombia. "Timoleón Jiménez" through a video, expressed that the FARC had come to the peace talks "without rancor or arrogance" </ref>. Hours earlier, "Gabino", the top leader of the National Liberation Army (the other active guerrilla movement in the country) expressed the intention of the organization to participate in the alleged peace dialogues as well. The confirmation of the dialogues generated different reactions, some in favor and others against. Skepticism was based on the failed negotiations of 2002 in El Caguán (Colombia). The favorable reactions were based on a general believe that the conflict had been going on for too long and should be stopped once and for all. For its part, the Colombian Catholic Church, who had participated as a guarantor in humanitarian events with the FARC, offered to play the same role.

Negotiation

During the peace talks in El Caguán, the agenda consisted of 12 points. This time, the Agenda consists only of six items, i.e. 1. Integral agricultural development policy, 2. Political participation, 3. End of the Conflict, 4. Solution to the problem of illicit drugs, 5. Victims and 6. Implementation, verification and countersignature. The discussions started on November 19th, with the announcement of a unilateral ceasefire by the FARC-EP that would last for two months. A partial agreement on the first item was announced on May 26, 2013. On September 6, 2013, a partial agreement on Political Participation was reached. Until then, the order of the items under discussion had been chronological, but after the second item, the negotiating teams decided to discuss the fourth: Solution to the problem of illicit drugs, temporarily skipping the third item: End of the Conflict. On May 17, 2014, a partial agreement was reached on illicit drugs. On May 25, elections were held in Colombia, where right-wing candidate Zuluaga gained a 29% of the votes and center-right Santos a 25%, which made the two of them going for a run-off vote. Zuluaga threatened to interrupt the peace talks if he won the elections, while Juan Manuel Santos' banner was to continue with the talks. The negotiations were temporarily stopped, but were re-taken on the 3rd of June, to start with the fifth item on the Agenda: Victims.

Negotiators

The total number of members of each delegation is limited to thirty, ten of which participate in the discussions. Each committee has a leader and there are five plenipotentiaries.

FARC Commission

The delegation of the insurgency is led by the Commander of the Caribbean Bloc Luciano Marín Arango "Iván Márquez", Jorge Torres Victoria "Pablo Catatumbo" Western Bloc commander whom the delegation from entering months after the talks started , Rodrigo Granda , who was imprisoned and whose capture led to a diplomatic crisis between the Colombian government of Uribe and Venezuela's Hugo Chávez. Andrés París, high command of the Eastern bloc and Caguán negotiator, Luis Alberto Albán Burbano "Marco León Calarcá", member of the international commission of the FARC. Pausivas Seusis Hernández "Jesús Santrich" a commander of the Caribbean Block. ​"Rubén Zamora", commander of the thirty-three Front. All except Zamora, members of the Central High Command. The delegation is also integrated by "Yuri Camargo", "Victoria Sandino", Miguel Pascuas and Dutch combatant Tanja Nijmeijer, among others.

Government Commission

The government delegation is led by former vice president Humberto de la Calle, who was part of the Constitutional Assembly in 1991. Frank Pearl, former minister of environment and ex-commissioner for peace. Sergio Jaramillo, Pearl's successor as peace commissioner, Luis Carlos Villegas, president of ANDI - National Industrial Association. The retired army general Jorge Enrique Mora and the retired police general Oscar Naranjo are also members of the official committee.

Points of the Agenda

In the "General Agreement", the following points were defined for negotiation:

1. Comprehensive agricultural development policy

The discussion of agricultural policy is an important issue for FARC since its origins. On 17, 18 and 19 December 2012 the Forum on Integral Agricultural Development Policies (with a territorial focus) was held in Bogota, organized by the National University and the United Nations, during which the Colombian people made hundreds of proposals which were handed over on January 9, 2013 to the two delegations. On the 26th of May 2013, a partial agreement on the first item of the Agenda was announced. An agreement had been made on a rural comprehensive reform, which focuses on the people, the small producers, access and distribution of land, combating poverty, stimulating agricultural production and economic recovery of the country, according to the joint press release. However, there were also some unresolved issues, that would have to be discussed later on, like neo-liberal politics, land concentration, Free Trade Agreements and food sovereignty.

2. Political Participation

During the discussion of this point, which started on June 21, 2013, the two parties tried to establish mechanisms to provide political space and guarantees for the different political parties and movements to participate in politics. This, in order to avoid the infamous case of the Patriotic Union in the eighties. The majority of its members were murdered by the Colombian state, while others managed to flee the country. Again, a national forum was held in Colombia on the matter, on April 28, 29 and 30, 2013.

On November 6, 2013, a partial agreement was reached on this subject, according to a joint press release which stated:

"What we have agreed, in its implementation, deepens and strengthens our democracy, expanding the rights and guarantees for the exercise of the opposition, as well as spaces for political and citizen participation. It promotes pluralism and political inclusion, participation and transparency in the electoral processes and the strengthening of a democratic political culture".

Some weeks later, on December 9, 2013, a more extensive report on the partial agreement was released. Agreements had been made on the elaboration of a Statute of Opposition, which should guarantee the rights of oppositional political parties in Colombia, on a new security system for the practice of politics (based on respect for human rights, human dignity and defense of democratic values), measures to ensure recognition, strengthening and empowerment of all social movements and organizations, greater citizen control, guarantees for transparency in the electoral process, among others.

3. End of Conflict

This agenda item relates to the bilateral and definitive cease of fire and hostilities, abandonment of arms and reintegration by the FARC. The issue of paramilitarism in Colombia will also be clarified in this point. Individual cases of charged or convicted combatants or collaborators will also be revised by the national government.

Pending

4. Solution to the problem of illicit drugs

The issue of the production and trafficking of illicit drugs has influenced the armed conflict for decades. Both the FARC and the government have been in favor of re-discussing the current war on drugs, as it is widely-assumed that it has failed. On August 24, the parties again requested the United Nations Colombia and the National University to organize a forum with broad citizen participation on the topic. Two forums were held, one in September and the other in October and on November 29, 2013, their conclusions were handed over to the two parties. On May 17, 2014, the partial agreement on illicit drugs was released by the parties, which stated:

"It is necessary to draw a new vision that addresses the causes and consequences of this phenomenon, especially by presenting alternatives that lead to improving the well-being and good living conditions of the communities in the territories affected by the illicit use of crops; address the consumption with a public health approach and to intensify the struggle against criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, (...)".

Important agreements were made on crop substitution (through a new National Comprehensive Program for the Substitution of the Illicit Use of Crops), on public health policies regarding consumption (through a National Comprehensive Intervention Program regarding Illicit Drug Consumption) and drug trade. However, also in this agreement there were unresolved points (like aerial spraying, for example, which according to the government should be allowed in some specific cases, while according to the FARC-EP it should be abolished and its victims should be compensated).

5. Victims

The fifth point of the Agenda is to discuss the human rights of the victims of the conflict and how to compensate them, not only providing material reparation, but also truth and justice. On June 7, 2014, a joint declaration of principles was published for the point of victims. It was agreed to establish a Historical Commission and that delegations of victims of the conflict would be received in Havana.

Pending

6. Implementation, verification and countersignature.

This point is about searching mechanisms to implement the final agreement, verify its implementation, but also to look for a general endorsement of it, by the whole of Colombian society.

Pending

Reactions When President Santos confirmed that in effect the peace talks were going to take place, there were various reactions from individuals, countries, bodies, political parties and institutions, within Colombia and also internationally.

In Colombia

The Uribist (ultra-right) sectors and some conservatives -like the Attorney General Alejandro Ordóñez- pronounced against the peace talks, arguing that a peace process without prior surrender of the FARC is not feasible. They further claim that president Santos is giving too much space to a terrorist organization and they fear total impunity for the crimes committed by FARC members.

Meanwhile, sectors such as liberalism, the Green Party, the Progressive Movement and other political and social groups (peasants, students, indigenous people, companies and churches) expressed support for the peace talks, arguing that the only solution to the armed conflict is not a military one but a bilateral solution.

International

In the international arena, the reactions occurred only after the announcement of Santos. North and South America hailed the discussions between the FARC and the Colombian government. European and Asian countries also expressed support for this new attempt at peace. There are approximately eighty countries that support the peace talks.

Agencies such as the Union of South American Nations, the Andean Community, the Organization of American States, United Nations, European Union, among others, expressed their support for the process. NGOs such as Human Rights Watch warned that sentenced insurgents shouldn't be conceded impunity.