For now, the delegations are defining logistical and essential issues to advance the dialogues, so it will be a very short round, but in which there must be clear rules of the game to continue advancing in the negotiation.
However, it has already become clear that the Second Marquetalia has defined purposes in this second opportunity that the Petro Government is giving them and, for that reason, Iván Márquez has already uncovered some cards with which they will play in the dialogues.
Firstly, this dissident group will seek in the negotiation to touch on key aspects of the country such as the political, economic and social system that, according to them, should emerge from the dialogues they began.
“The Second Marquetalia-Bolivarian Army, under my command and its collective leadership, has every willingness to contribute to the common achievement of peace for Colombia, which we inscribe within the most general purposes of the political, economic, social, cultural and environmental change that the historical moment that our country is experiencing demands”, Marquez said.
In Márquez’s opinion, Colombia is at a time when changes must be made through peace dialogues since through them we can “define the present and future trajectory of the social order, as well as the conditions of life and existence of these.”
He revealed that these changes are why Marquetalia sat down to negotiate with the Petro Government and that they must achieve them in a short time. “We represent a contingent aligned with the purposes of change, as long as this is not cosmetic and is not simply reduced to a renewal of the regime of domination and exploitation that prevails in Colombia.”
Furthermore, he said that the Second Marquetalia agreed with the social outbreak that occurred in 2021 and that, according to him, this social rebellion must continue. There he sent a worrying message.
“We are part of those who consider that it is time to fill the entire national territory with ‘front lines’, Because the aspirations of the immense multitudes have not yet been resolved, and it is time to fully deploy all the possibilities of producing social power from below,” he reiterated.
It is striking that although Petro has not mentioned the “front lines” he has made a similar call for “the people to take to the streets” and demonstrate, which is why Márquez and Marquetalia are aligned with the discourse that is being used. from the House of Nariño.
Likewise, he proposed a kind of alliance with the ELN to promote a peace process from the territories and communities to “solve Colombia’s problems.” He did not give more details of this union between criminal groups, but he will surely do so later.
“In our vision, we agree with those who consider that it is time to promote constituent processes and dynamics that generate conditions of possibility for a redefinition of the norms and rules that govern the entire social organization.”
In that sense, it is clear that Márquez wants to promote a constituent assembly through the dialogue table to, according to him, achieve changes in the country. Mobilize citizens throughout the national territory and work based on points that have already been defined between the parties.
The agenda will have the following basic points: “1) De-escalation of the conflict and readiness of the peace territories. 2) Construction of territories of peace. 3) Victims as transformative social subjects. 4) Conditions for peaceful coexistence. 5) Implementation”.
Armando Novoa, head of the Government delegation, confirmed to WEEK that These dialogues will not last forever and there will be no bilateral ceasefire.
“The joint declaration speaks of a de-escalation of the conflict that has different characteristics from a bilateral cessation. It means that the Second Marquetalia says that they renounce offensive actions against the soldiers, the Police, against the Military Forces and that they will not carry out armed operations that affect the communities.”
In 2018, Márquez decided to leave everything behind and returned to hiding in the company of Jesús Santrich, Hernán Darío Velásquez, alias El Paisa, and Henry Castellanos, known by the alias Romaña. A year later he announced the emergence of the new criminal group and from there the track was lost. and the only thing that had been known was that his friends were discharged and that he suffered an attack that almost cost him his life.
Based on alleged breaches of the Peace Agreement, Márquez sustained his armed struggle and led President Petro to open the door to him in the so-called total peace that this Monday, June 24, opened a new negotiation front, despite the controversy because those who left what was agreed in Havana lost all the benefits.
