The meeting took place on the outskirts of the capital, in the Mayor’s office of San Jerónimo, in the building of the former Inter-American Social Security Conference, chaired by teacher Zoé Robledo.
In a welcome message to the negotiators and the representatives of the guarantee countries, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard wished every success in this second cycle of peace talks with Colombia
On behalf of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Foreign Minister welcomed Otty Patiño, Chief Negotiator of the Colombian government delegation; Pablo Beltrán from the ELN; Senator María José Pizarro Rodríguez, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Organization and Head of the Verification Mission to Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, and the guarantors.
Welcoming them to Mexico, Ebrard congratulated himself on the start of peace negotiations and described this day as a historic date for reconciliation and peace-building in Colombia, important for all the peoples of the world and for Mexico in particular.
This place where we meet, the Inter-American Conference on Social Security, has a special symbolism because it was here that the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, better known as the Tlatelolco Treaty, was negotiated of 1967, the one of Latin America’s most important contributions to international security.
He recalled that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared that “the Mexican Government has the conviction and the aim to participate in building a common future for our region, with full respect for the sovereignty and peculiarities of each people and each country.
Also speaking at the inauguration ceremony were the chief negotiators, who expressed their willingness to reach agreements that will help build a new peaceful life and mutual trust with the new Colombian government, which expressed its firm will to first achieve a bilateral ceasefire as a goal Basis for consolidating the progress of the conversation.
All appreciated the participation of Cuba, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela and Norway in the peace process, as well as the constant accompaniment of the Catholic Church of Colombia and the United Nations Organization, as well as Germany, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
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