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Good morning for everybody
Havana, Cuba, seat of the peace talks, July 2, 2013
We join the justified happiness
shared by all the revolutionaries of Colombia
and the people of Our America
because of the joint communiqué and political statement
issued by the Summit of Commanders of the National Liberation Army
and the FARC-EP held somewhere in the Colombian jungle last month.
Resolving many difficulties,
it was possible to have a frank and fraternal debate
between the two rebel organizations,
confirming our horizon of unity
and constituting an invaluable historical fact.
Twenty three years ago,
our commanders Manuel Marulanda Vé*** and Manuel Pérez Martínez
agreed to a common revolutionary way.
This agreement has been endorsed today by commanders
Timoleón Jiménez and Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista.
The painful misunderstandings that tried to divide
the path of the revolutionaries,
is part of the past now.
Today, the insurgent forces of Colombia are more united than ever.
The Peace Delegation of the FARC-EP
is pleased to be able to count
on the experience and the energy
of the brothers and sisters of the ELN
in the development of the current peace agenda of Colombia.
It is a matter of satisfaction of enormous significance
for all the people who want peace in our country.
We will do everything that´s within our power
for the talks between the sister organization
and the Colombian government to start.
Bolivar's America rejoices
at seeing the fighters of Manuel Marulanda Vé***,
Jacobo Arenas, Camilo Torres and Manuel Pérez Martínez,
walking together on the path of peace.
The Summit of Commanders calls for broad unity
of all social and political organizations
in their struggle for true democracy.
It affirms the historic commitment of the ELN and FARC
to peace with social justice,
and to all popular initiatives on this subject,
including the proposal of a National Constituent Assembly for Peace.
Long live the unity of the guerrillas of Colombia!
Long live peace!
PEACE DELEGATION FARC-EP
Pablo, do you know if there's already
a definite approach between the ELN and the government?
To start the dialogues with you,
as the joint communiqué says,
that the purpose is that the ELN could sit down at a Table
together with the FARC...
Iván Márquez says that wouldn´t be any problem?
Let´s see, I don´t know if there is some agreement
between the government and the ELN,
this question should be responded by the colleagues of the ELN,
or the government,
in the communiqué we say we will do our best
to get them closer to the Conversation Table;
we don´t know if to this Table or another Table, it´s about....
What you want is to incorporate the issues of the ELN
or do you want the representatives of ELN
to be at this Table?
When we talk about incorporating,
we are talking about incorporation in the dialogues,
we would like them to be part of the conversations.
The decision if the incorporation is at this Table
or another seperated one,
is to be taken by the commanders of the ELN and the government.
Mister Catatumbo, this agreement between you
and the ELN will produce any change at the peace process?
And if you´ve already made an official proposal
to the goverment and what did they respond?
Well, it does have an enormous sifnificance,
it's the first time in more than 20 years
that a meeting between two historic commanders of the
guerrillas takes place.
As I`ve already said,
it´s up to the government and the ELN
to take the decision to start dialogues.
We are just reaffirming our willingness to bring closer,
to ask the government, and in fact we`re doing it right now here,
to accept the ELN's petition to participate in the dialogues.
Thank you very much.
Mister Catatumbo, a final question if you allow me.
The government says they`re not going to talk
about any issues you haven´t agreed on,
obviously they`re referring to the Constituent.
Do you again insist on it?
And Ingrid Betancourt on RCN said
that she thinks that the FARC for a Constituent
would definitely lose,
she thinks that the right thing to ratify the agreement
would be a plebescit.
Do you agree with that?
These are issues from the discussion at the Table
and to predict who is going to win a constituent,
without it even being reality, is really too soon.