Peace negotiators from FARC and the Colombian government met in Havana on Tuesday to iron out the agenda for the next phase of the peace process, due to begin on November 15.
According to ElColombiano.com, the crux of the meeting consisted of defining procedural aspects, such as the duration of the sessions, public communications on the progress of the talks.
“Something like performance standards,” FARC chief negotiator “Ivan Marquez” said of Tuesday’s meeting.
After meeting with the government officials, FARC released a communique entitled “Reflections on the agenda of Havana IV” in which they called on the Colombian government to allow more public participation in the peace process.
This came on the heels of Tanja Nijmeijer, alias “Alexandra Nariño”, arriving in the Cuban capital where she is expected to participate in the peace talks as a translator. ElColombiano.com however, suspects both FARC’s urging for popular participation and the arrival of the Dutch guerrilla to be publicity ploys.
Peace talks between the FARC and the Colombian government formally started on October 18 in Oslo, Norway, where senior negotiators for both sides agreed that the dialogue should continue in Cuba on November 15. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos’ administration began “exploratory talks” with FARC back in February in hopes of ending Latin America’s longest-running armed conflict.
The advancements in negotiations between the government and FARC have occurred against a backdrop of violence and military escalation.
Over the past week, the armed forces have accused FARC of killing ten people and injuring dozens more in four separate attacks across the country.
