In Colombia, skepticism and hope on peace talks

Peace talks in Colombia between the government and the rebel National Liberation Army, or ELN, the country's latest attempt at ending decades of armed conflict, carry great expectations.

Negotiations between the administration of President Gustavo Petro and the ELN resumed in Mexico City on Feb 13 after stalling in early January.

Petro announced a cease-fire after he took office in August, and the government managed to make agreements with several groups. However, participation by the ELN, the largest rebel group, holds the key to any lasting peace, and negotiations in Caracas, Venezuela, in November ended with no clear agreement.

The ELN's chief negotiator, Israel Ramirez, better known by the alias Pablo Beltran, said the aim of these latest talks was to bring about "transformations that make it possible to put an end to the armed conflict and achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace".

However, D'mar Cordoba, a lawyer and political analyst in Bogota, noted that the ELN has said that peace is not synonymous with leaving weapons behind or achieving seats at the Congress, as members of the FARC rebel group did in 2016.

Petro rose to power last year thanks partly to his promises to bring total peace to the country.

However, peace has been elusive. The ELN, with some 3,000 fighters, has control over large parts of rural Colombia.

"I am optimistic but maintain a high degree of skepticism about what may happen in Mexico," said John Marulanda, president of the Colombian Association of Retired Officers of the Military Forces.

Ramirez, the ELN negotiator, has referred to the narcotics trade by saying that an agreement should provide an alternative anti-drug policy that is no longer based on repression or war. As the government has little presence in ELN-held areas, it may be difficult for the economic ambitions of the talks to become reality.

Enrique Gomez, a former presidential candidate and head of the conservative National Salvation Movement opposition party, said: "The ELN guerrillas, because of the history of negotiations over the last 40 years, have no intention of recognizing the legitimacy of the Colombian state. The only thing they seek in the negotiation process is to grow militarily."

Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Norway and Venezuela are the guarantors of these peace talks.

Ian Thomas in Hong Kong contributed to this story.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.