Uruguayan President Jose Mujica confirmed on Tuesday that he had met with FARC representatives while visiting Cuba, as reported by local press a few days earlier.
MORE: President of Uruguay ‘met with FARC delegation in Cuba’
Mujica, himself a former guerilla fighter, stressed that he met with the FARC in order to assist in the peace talks and to monitor their progress.
The Uruguauyan president met with Cuba’s former president Fidel Castro in late July to talk about the importance of the success of the Colombian peace talks, not just for Colombia but the whole of Latin America.
MORE: Cuba’s Castro and Uruguay’s Mujica talk Colombia peace negotiations
In a statement to the press, Mr Mujica said that “Mercosur must give full support to the peace process. We cannot be neutral towards the peace process because it is a common cause.”
The Mercosur block is a trade group formed of several South American states including Brazil and Argentina – increased stability in Colombia and a lasting peace will be a benefit to trade throughout the region.
He has also said that his “heart, arms and humble assistance is available” to help achieve peace in Colombia. Mujica also left open the possibility of raising the peace talks with the General Assembly of the United Nations but said that he first wanted to talk with his Colombian counter-part, President Juan Manuel Santos.
MORE: Santos invites Uruguay president to advise on Colombia’s peace talks
Santos has previously invited Mujica to help with the peace talks and advise on the negotiation process.
Sources
- José Mujica confirmó que se reunió en Cuba con las Farc (El Espectador)
- Mujica apoyó proceso de paz en Colombia y dijo que “es un paso de mucho coraje político” (Uruguayan President’s official website)