1st Communiqué from the Colombian Government - FARC meeting 1/09/99, as read by Raúl Reyes, a delegate of FARC

1st Communiqué from the Colombian Government - FARC meeting 1/09/99, as read by Raúl Reyes, a delegate of FARC

Government--FARC-EP dialogue table, communiqué number one: The spokespersons of the national government and FARC-EP, who met in La Machaca, municipality of San Vicente del Caguán, department of Caquetá, on January 9th, 1999 have agreed:

1. To declare to all Colombians our absolute willingness to contribute to the construction of a country with sustainable peace, equity and social justice, while acknowledging that we are facing a long, sensitive process, in which collective contribution will be necessary to achieve a new reality through deep economic, social and political change.

2. To establish a unique mechanism of information for the public about the advances of the Dialogue Table by means of the dispatch of joint communiqués and writings that will be issued after each session.

3. To request that the media, for the sake of maintaining objective information on the advance of the peace process, to base their information solely on the communiqués, avoiding interpretations that can affect the development of the Dialogue Table.

4. To call for the next meeting on Monday, January 11th, 1999, at La Machaca, municipality of San Vicente del Caguán, at 9:00 a.m.

Signed, María Emma Mejía, Nicanor Restrepo, Fabio Valencia, and Rodolfo Espinosa for the Government and Raúl Reyes, Fabián Ramírez, and Joaquín Goméz for FARC."