Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos announced Wednesday the names of the designated negotiators for peace talks between the government and largest guerrilla group FARC.
After announcing the formal peace dialogues Tuesday, Colombia’s president took to the airwaves again, this time to announce the team that would be in charge of talking to the country’s guerrilla group in the Norwegian capital of Oslo in October, and later in Cuba’s capital Havana.
La persona que va a estar a la cabeza de estas negociaciones es el Dr. Humberto de la Calle. El país puede sentirse más que tranquilo.
— Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) September 5, 2012
“The country can remain calm, we have very qualified people,” said Santos as he claimed that they will work together in an efficient manner to reach peace.
The commission, led by the former Vice President Humberto de la Calle, will be comprised of representatives from the government, business and military sectors.
- Jorge Enrique Mora – Former armed forces commander
- Oscar Naranjo – Former National Police commander
- Frank Pearl – Former Peace Commissioner under Alvaro Uribe
- Sergio Jaramillo – Presidential Security Adviser
- Luis Carlos Villegas – President of Colombia’s Business Association
Mi hermano Enrique que ayudó en la construcción de confianza en la primera fase de este proceso, estará en la retaguardia #FinDelConflicto
— Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) September 5, 2012
Enrique Santos, the president’s brother who helped in the construction of the first phase of the process, will also be involved “in the background” of the table of negotiation, the president said.
The talks between the Colombian government and the rebel group are the first in ten years, after a failed attempt ended in 2002. Representatives of both warring parties have been negotiating secretly in Cuba over the past six months to clear the way for formal negotiations that must lead to the final end of the 48-year-old armed conflict.
