- The Colombian government and the FARC-EP guerrilla group met in Cartagena over the weekend. One hundred days after the signing of the peace agreement, realizing that the implementation of what has been agreed is going badly and late, they have made commitments to speed up the process.
The initial splendor is gone and the difficulties, contradictions and lack of commitment to carry out what was agreed in Havana are revealed. By shutting down the media cameras, the neglect and indifference of the government, politicians, and society has been increasing.
Representatives of both sides meet in the Caribbean city to turn the situation around and revive implementation. The government’s interior minister and many other high commissioners have accompanied the leaders of the ‘Timochenko’ guerrilla group, Jesús Santrich, Iván Márquez and Rodrigo Londoño. President Juan Manuel Santos also met for a moment with representatives of the guerrillas.
The two sides meet in the Committee for Monitoring, Encouraging and Verifying Implementation. They have made an assessment of the Havana Peace Agreement, identified the weaknesses, and agreed on the next steps to continue and accelerate its implementation. The following commitments have been made.
The commitments
In April, the Government will present a number of legislative proposals to Congress. To advance the agrarian reform, these laws will serve to establish the Truth Commission and create the Missing Persons Search Unit. The Government also intends to agree on a National Political Pact to ensure the implementation of the agreement. The presidential election is in 2018, and Santos’ successor may not like the deal.
There is not much support for the agreement today. The Special Jurisdiction for Peace had recently been adopted in Congress, where, although the Government was supposed to have a large majority, it had been adopted by a vote of juxtaposition. During the debates on the demobilization process, there have been significant deficiencies in the congressmen over the months.
The government says it will also finish the construction in April of areas where FARC-EP guerrillas are demobilizing. The demobilized have already been in these areas for two months in precarious conditions.
For its part, the guerrillas are committed to providing a list of all their members, as well as the clandestine militiamen of the cities.
Both sides reaffirm the disarmament timetable, which has also been subject to delays. In many places the Government has not built the necessary infrastructure for disarmament. This process will continue until mid-June.