Colombia : Peace at Last ?
Les pourparlers de paix s’ouvrent dans le courant du mois d’octobre à Oslo
►http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/172-general/51988-colombia-peace-at-last.html7
International Crisis Group
September 25, 2012
Since 1964, Colombia’s different conservative and oligarchic governments have been threatened by the violent struggle of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN). Recognizing that the country’s intense counter-insurgency military strategy to defeat these guerillas has failed to put an end to the conflict, Bogota’s government now seems more open to political discussions. Formal peace talks will therefore be held in Oslo this month. Not only does the government enjoy more popular support, but the security forces of the country, and especially violent paramilitaries, are now better controlled by the central government. Yet, the International Crisis Group recalls that “a deal would not eliminate violence” and argues that, in order to reconsolidate Columbia’s statehood, “only strong social and political ownership of that deal can guarantee that it leads to the lasting peace.” But will this possible in the near future?
After decades of failed negotiations and attempts to defeat the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas and the smaller National Liberation Army (ELN) militarily, a political solution to the Western Hemisphere’s oldest conflict may be in sight. Following a year of secret contacts, formal peace talks with FARC are to open in Oslo in October 2012 and continue in Havana. They may be extended to the ELN. There seems a firmer willingness to reach an agreement, as the government realises military means alone cannot end the conflict and FARC appears to recognise that the armed struggle permits survival but little else. With no ceasefire in place, both sides must act with restraint on the battlefield to generate immediate humanitarian improvements. And they will need to balance the requirements of fast, discreet negotiations and those of representativeness and inclusion. The government and the guerrillas have the historic responsibility to strike a deal, but only strong social and political ownership of that deal can guarantee that it leads to the lasting peace that has been elusive for so long.
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