He indicated in statements to Prensa Latina, after presenting the report to the Security Council related to the period from March 27 to June 26, 2023, on the implementation of the peace agreement, that “Cuba, like very few countries, has done so much for the Colombian peace process.
In this new report presented today, the Secretary-General considers the results achieved in the framework of the third round of negotiations between the Government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), held in Cuba, very encouraging.
Despite this, the Antillean state continues to be included in the questionable list of state sponsors of terrorism in which it is included in order to respect the protocols established in the event that talks between Ivan Duque’s government and the militants break down.
In response to a question from Prensa Latina about the unfair listing, Special Representative of António Guterres made it clear that they hope to review such an action.
“We have celebrated, and the Secretary-General has done so, the important results achieved at the table of talks between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army, in this third session in Cuba, with a cease-fire and progress on the issue of the participation of Colombian society in peace-building in this process,” he said.
It gives them “an additional taste, because few countries have done what Cuba has done for peace in Colombia, and this is obvious and widely known,” he stressed.
The head of the verification mission emphasized: “Personally and institutionally, we are very happy that these results were in the Havana session and we hope that this trend will continue in the next sessions that have this type of results.”
He recalled that a few years ago when a possible revision of the Cuba designation issue was looked at, the Secretary General at the time celebrated because it would be the right decision.
“This review was not carried out today and we hope that it will be held soon precisely because of the importance of Cuba’s role in the Colombian peace process, in this case with the National Liberation Army, but also with the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the People’s Army,” he said.
The official of the multilateral organization reaffirmed his personal and institutional recognition of Cuba’s role in this peace process.
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