The leading government negotiator at the FARC-government peace talks, Humberto de la Calle, says the Colombian armed forces will not be reduced despite demands from the FARC.
The rebels have previously called for the armed forces to be reduced, while claiming the doctrine of the armed forces would also have to change in order for lasting peace to be achieved.
“The FARC has publicly alluded to the military doctrine and the size of the armed forces. These themes will not [be] matters of discussion and above all they cannot be preconditions for the possible [political] participation of the rebels.”
On Friday, the rebels handed over the last of 100 proposals regarding a variety of issues like health care and education.
De la Calle said these initiatives would not be discussed at the negotiation table, unless they are already a part of the agenda originally set by the government and the FARC.
“We understand that these proposals contribute to the confirmation of this group’s political platform, but they will only be incorporated in the discussion [if] they are part of the [original] agenda.”
The government negotiator welcomed proposals raised during Monday’s forum on the FARC’s political participation.
“It is pertinent to deepen the mechanisms oriented towards the local communities … The citizen participation which is expressed in the everyday and not only in the big national decisions,” said De la Calle.
At the forum, some participants repeatedly asked for guarantees to ensure the organization’s survival in a post-conflict situation. The FARC-linked Patriotic Union party lost some 3,000 members to targeted assassinations in the 1980s and ’90s and many, including the FARC themselves, have expressed concern the same could happen to them should they demobilize.
The second point up for discussion at the peace talks in Havana, Cuba is the rebels’ political participation. However, the warring parties have yet to reach an agreement on the first point of the agenda: comprehensive agrarian reform.
Sources
- Reducción de FF.MM. no se discute en la mesa de diálogo: Humberto de la Calle (RCN Radio)
- Partidos y movimientos urgen reforma para incluir a futuros exguerrilleros en política (Caracol Radio)
- Las propuestas que se llevarán a La Habana (Semana)
