Colombia, Rebels Conclude Round of 'Successful’ Talks

Facts

Representatives of the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group issued a joint statement on Monday praising and concluding the first round of peace talks, which was held in Caracas, Venezuela.
The parties claimed to have reached four points of agreement so far — including acknowledging the gravity of the violence and the need for immediate attention regarding the provinces of Choco and Valle del Cauca.
Colombia's Defense Minister Iván Velásquez added on Monday from Bogotá that ELN operations had a "noticeable drop" since the peace talks restarted on Nov. 21 as delegates in Caracas highlighted that the rebel group has released 20 hostages since August.
The two sides vowed to "implement a partial agreement for emergency care" to begin in January in several areas worst hit by violence and to provide "urgent humanitarian care" to a group of ELN "political prisoners" but the issue of a ceasefire was reportedly not addressed.
ELN's chief negotiator, Pablo Beltrán, expressed his hopes that a ceasefire could be agreed upon during the next round of peace talks, which will be held in Mexico starting in January.
Peace talks with Colombia's largest remaining rebel group, the 4K-member ELN, are essential to Pres. Gustavo Petro's plan to bring "total peace" to the nation of 50M people. Some rural areas remain under the control of drug gangs and rebel groups despite a 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Left narrative, as provided by Foreign Policy. Though significant obstacles remain, the fact that Colombia and its leaders have indicated there is hope for peaceful dialogue shows that this historically violent country may have turned over a new leaf. It won't be easy to persuade all stakeholders to reach an agreement, but Petro has already conducted more diplomacy than his predecessors.
Right narrative, as provided by El American. It's evident that Colombia needs total peace, but it shouldn't come at the vast cost of implementing total impunity. Petro's plan is disastrous, as it would allow asset laundering operations to benefit criminals who should instead be forced to pay sanctions and hand over their tainted money to the Colombian people.
Cynical narrative, as provided by Insight Crime. Petro's "Total Peace" plan offers a general framework to open dialogue and is a step towards achieving his ambitious goal, but the strategy is risky as there is no alternative if negotiations go wrong or if criminal groups refuse to lay down their arms. Most problematically, this proposal fails to tackle the roots of violence in Colombia and could further decentralize groups, as evidenced by the FARC's demobilization.