FARC and Colombia resume dialogue on drugs.
The dialogue table between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government for the peace process will resume in Havana, Cuba; in the 20th round of talks, negotiators are seeking solutions to the drug problem, a topic under discussion since November of last year.
The dialogue table between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government for the peace process will resume today (3) in Havana, Cuba. In the 20th round of talks, negotiators are seeking solutions to the drug problem, a topic under discussion since November of last year. The government delegation left yesterday (2) from the country's capital, Bogotá, bound for Havana.
In January, the FARC proposed that the Colombian government demarcate areas for the legal cultivation of coca, marijuana, and poppies. According to the proposal, the regions designated for cultivation would be under state control, with plantations intended for “nutritional, medicinal, therapeutic, artisanal, industrial, and cultural” use.
The idea of legalizing cultivation for therapeutic purposes is well received by peasant associations, and the government has already signaled that this "could be part of a solution." The government has not openly commented on the matter, but admits that the country needs to "find an internal and alternative way to solve the problem." Colombia is still among the world's three largest producers of cocaine and marijuana, despite investments and efforts to combat drug trafficking.
Last week, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was in Havana to participate in the 2nd Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The Colombian press speculated about a possible meeting between the president and members of the FARC delegation who are in the Cuban capital. However, he denied having had contact with the guerrilla group, because the meeting "was not on the agenda."
Nevertheless, Santos focused his participation in the summit on the topic of negotiation. He thanked Cuba. He expressed his support for the process and said that the government will continue "working hard to ensure that the negotiation is successfully concluded."
During his trip to the island, President Santos also discussed negotiations with the presidents of Cuba, Raúl Castro, and Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. The two countries are acting as mediators in the peace process.
After the summit concluded, the FARC issued a statement reaffirming their desire to make Latin America a "zone of peace," referring to...declaration signed by the heads of state and government at the end of the meeting.
In one year and two months of dialogue, an agreement has already been reached on agricultural development and the political participation of former guerrillas after the peace agreement is signed.
In addition to the issue of drugs, the negotiation agenda has three themes: reparations for victims of the armed conflict; demobilization and reintegration of guerrillas; and guarantees for the fulfillment of agreements signed in the post-conflict period.