Colombia president suspends ceasefire talks over rebel attacks
BOGOTA: Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced that he had suspended peace talks with National Liberation Army ( ELN) rebels in response to what he said were guerrilla attacks earlier Wednesday.
“I have talked with the head of the government delegation in Quito to tell him to return immediately to assess the future of the process,” Santos said in a televised address.
Peace talks with Colombia’s last rebel group had been set to resume in Quito, the capital of neighbouring Ecuador, on Wednesday but a 101- day ceasefi re between the government and the ELN rebels expired at midnight without agreement to extend it.
Santos said the ELN had resumed “its terrorist attacks against the civilian population, the armed forces and infrastructure.”
ELN commander Pablo Beltran called on the government to reconsider, insisting his side wanted the talks on extending the ceasefi re to continue.
“We want conversations to be maintained, and that no incidents lead to them being interrupted, and we call on them to consider their withdrawal from the table,” said Beltran.
The standoff comes as UN chief Antonio Guterres travels to Colombia at the weekend “to support peace efforts,” his spokesman said.
During a Security Council meeting to discuss Colombia, Britain and Sweden urged Colombia and the ELN to resume ceasefire talks as quickly as possible.
Colombian vice- president Oscar Naranjo Trujillo told the council that “the government is not walking away from peace” and has called urgent talks to salvage the ceasefi re. — AFP