THE CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR RENEWED CONTACTS WITH THE ELN

THE CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR RENEWED CONTACTS WITH THE ELN

Bogotá, D.C., March 30 , 2001 (ANCOL). -

The Deputy Commissioner for Peace, Jorge Marío Eastman said today that conditions are favorable for renewed contacts between the National Government and the insurgent group, the Army for National Liberation (ELN).

While speaking to journalists, Eastman said that they had advanced on the preparation for the meeting, possibly this weekend, with the spokesmen for the guerrilla group.

The idea, he explained, is to ¨jumpstart¨ the peace process between the government and the ELN to initiate negotiations."

We are waiting for a meeting between the office of the High Commissioner for Peace and the ELN, this weekend, to jumpstart the process with the subversive group", he said.

According to Eastman, now that the difficulties that made the temporary suspension between the two parts have been overcome, the hour has come for concrete action.¨

All the obstacles which upset the environment are better and smoothed over. Conditions exist to sit down again at the table to dialogue and put concrete elements into this process," he added.

Eastman said that today the "Facilitation Commission" traveled to the South of Bolivar.