Colombian academics and politicians will meet to seek a solution to the long-standing feud between president Juan Manuel Santos and his predecessor Alvaro Uribe, Radio Caracol reported Thursday.
Twenty-five political and academic leaders have planned a meeting in Colombia’s second largest city Medellin on August 8 to discuss possible steps to end confrontations between Santos and Uribe.
Santos and Uribe were political allies but rifts developed between them shortly after Santos took office. The two have not spoken in person for many months but Uribe has often used his twitter account to criticize Santos and the current administration’s policies.
Ex-governor and ex-secretary, Antonio Navarro, confirmed that neither Santos nor Uribe will be attending the meeting.
“A reconciliation or union of the two politicians is not being pushed,” said Navarro. Instead the public personalities in attendence will meet to come to an understanding on all fronts. The focus will be on the “current polarized atmosphere” which could potentially lead to a new era of violence if not addressed.