(24 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Caracas, Venezuela – 24 June 2024
1. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil greeting leaders of Segunda Marquetalia rebel group Walter Mendoza and Ivan Marquez, nom de guerre of Luciano Marin, commander of the rebel group
2. Mendoza and Marquez sitting
3. Wide of delegates and attendees
4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Armando Novoa, Colombian government delegation chief: ++IMAGES OF DELEGATES AND OTHERS OVER SOUNDBITE++
"The Second Marquetalia is renouncing the use of arms in some type of actions that could affect the civilian population, that is what de-escalation consists of. Is the de-escalation a bilateral cease-fire? No. The de-escalation is a unilateral cease-fire? No, neither. It is an unprecedented situation that places us in a different scenario that we have to evaluate. We still do not know how the response of the Colombian State is going to materialize."
5. Delegates
STORYLINE:
Colombia launched peace talks with the Second Marquetalia rebel group on Monday as the administration of leftist President Gustavo Petro tries to pacify rural areas of the country.
The talks were announced at a ceremony in Caracas that included government delegates and leaders of the rebel group who signed a 2016 peace deal but later took up arms again as they became disillusioned with the implementation of that deal.
They were accused of committing crimes that violated the peace accords.
The Second Marquetalia group is led by Luciano Marin, who is more commonly known by his nom de guerre of Ivan Marquez.
He is a former FARC commander who was the group’s chief negotiator in the peace talks that led to the disarmament of more than 13,000 rebels fighters.
Delegates of the Colombian government spoke of de-escalation of the conflict as a new innovative procedure they hope brings better results than other cease-fire agreements attempted in the past.
With an estimated 2,000 fighters the Second Marquetalia is one of the nation’s smaller rebel outfits.
The government’s decision to begin peace talks with the group has been criticized by Colombian opposition leaders who have accused Petro of being soft on crime.
AP Video shot by Juan Arraez
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