Venezuela will be “guarantor country” in the negotiation of the Colombian government with the ELN

Petro resumes negotiations with the ELN 2:51 (CNN) — The questioned president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, agreed to act as guarantor of the peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN). The president expressed it this way this Tuesday, during a broadcast on the Venezuelan state television station, VTV. Maduro said that he accepted President Gustavo Petro’s proposal to seek peace between the guerrilla group and the Colombian government. “Once again, as Commander Chávez did in his time, to guarantee the peace agreements that were later signed, and in which I had to participate as guarantor, once again, to President Gustavo Petro and to Colombia we say: Venezuela accepts the character of guarantor of the negotiations,” Maduro announced. On Tuesday afternoon, the Colombian government released a letter that President Gustavo Petro sent to his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, requesting his participation in the negotiations with the ELN. In the letter, the Colombian president confirms that he had a telephone conversation with Maduro and asks him to activate Venezuela as a “guarantor country” for the reestablishment of the negotiating table with the ELN. The ELN and the Colombian government have been trying to reach a peace agreement for several years. The last occasion was in 2019, when an attack by this guerrilla group left 22 cadets dead and caused the dialogue to break down.