Santos: Colombia May Widen Peace Talks

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has indicated that his government is looking to incorporate the country’s second-largest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN) in ongoing peace talks in Havana. But it’s unclear whether significant progress is being made on this front or whether the remarks are part of his re-election strategy.

In an interview with Spanish news agency EFE, Santos said he was hopeful that the current talks with FARC rebels could reach a final agreement before the end of the year, and that the peace process would be widened to include the ELN.

The ELN has been particularly vocal about its desire to participate in the negotiations, even sending representatives to Havana  only to have them turned away by Cuban officials because they lacked the permission of the Colombian government. Last year, the president called on the guerrillas to free all of their hostages, and then signaled that he was “ready to talk” with the ELN following the August release of a Canadian hostage. In the weeks after the release, there were rumors that Uruguayan President Jose Mujica -- a former guerrilla himself -- would help facilitate dialogue with the rebels, but ultimately this never materialized.

There is reason to be suspicious about the timing of Santos’ remarks, however. His critics have accused him of using the peace talks to boost his campaign ahead of the May 25 presidential elections, an allegation that was fueled by the announcement that the official negotiating team would go on a nationwide tour to promote the talks this month. And as EFE points out, the president has made stump speeches under the campaign slogan “Vote for peace.”

La Silla Vacia also notes that the remarks could have more to do with the ongoing rural agricultural protests in the country, which have been joined this week by campesino movements sympathetic to widening the talks to include the ELN. Mentioning giving the guerrillas a seat at the table, the news site claims, is a strategy to appease these sectors.

Santos’ announcement also comes amid a developing campaign scandal. Yesterday, his  chief campaign strategist J.J. Rendon  was forced to resign after El Espectador and Semana  reported that he is accused of accepting money from drug traffickers in exchange for communicating their offer to turn themselves to avoid extradition to the U.S.

News Briefs

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