Just three weeks before the presidential elections in Colombia, the Ambassador of the South American country in the U.S., Luis Carlos Villegas, visited the Bay Area.
Villegas is a member of the government negotiating team that is carrying out peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Havana, Cuba since October 2012.
“For President Santos, peace is the most important issue in Colombia,” Villegas said at an event on Thursday May 1 at the Consulate of Colombia in San Francisco.
Santos, current president of Colombia, belongs to the Party of the U, and is seeking to be re-elected next May 25. Another major political force in the country is the Democratic Centre party, led by former President Alvaro Uribe, who is also a presidential candidate. Uribe opposes the current negotiation between the government and the FARC.
El Tecolote spoke to Ambassador Villegas about the peace process.
What are the achievements in the negotiations between the government and FARC to date?
We have reached agreement on two points, rural settlement and political participation; very complex points technically but necessary for development of the country, with or without a peace process.
But the hardest part is yet to be negotiated, the issue of drug trafficking, victims, justice, disarmament, and reintegration. We will see in the coming months the pace it takes. Negotiation is going fine, but slower than we all would have liked.
How do you see the creation of a commission of historical clarification as proposed by the FARC?
I can not refer to the specific issues of the negotiation because it is confidential, but all peace processes have mechanisms of truth, justice and reparation. I think Colombia will not be the exception.
Have there been efforts by the government to establish dialogue with other insurgent groups?
Yes, the National Liberation Army (ELN) has been reached out. The negotiating table has not yet officially been installed but I hope that in a relatively short period ELN also join in these efforts to end the conflict.
What differentiates this negotiation with those of 1984-1986 and 1998-2002?
First, the military balance is definitely in favor of the State and the FARC knows that. Second, international support for the guerrilla movement is virtually nonexistent. And third, the Colombian state and government agenda have faced all the traditional problems in Colombia such as poverty, which is now half what it was ten years ago; inequality has decreased; the possibility of rural development, it is now possible; infrastructure; health and social security services. Those three things I think are different from all previous efforts .
Among other things, the process has been done methodically, we have had a very clear agenda with the FARC, not an open agenda, it is only 6 points. That makes us different . But that does not mean the process is easy, it is difficult and takes time.
What could happen with peace negotiations in view of the upcoming presidential election?
President Santos has decided that the negotiation process and the elections happen at the same time. And this is the first time we see such a thing. So far things have not been exceptionally abnormal. There have been incidents, of course, that hurt us all a lot, but not abnormal things. After the elections, I hope that the peace process keeps moving forward.
—Translation Alfonso Agirre