https://nacla.org/blog/2013/9/26/farc-leader-%E2%80%9Ctimochenko%E2%80%9D-expresses-frustration-santos%E2%80%99s-negotiating-strategy
FARC Leader “Timochenko” Expresses Frustration with Santos’s Negotiating Strategy Nazih Richani <https://nacla.org/nacla-bloggers#Nazih> Cuadernos Colombianos <https://nacla.org/node/7328> September 26, 2013 [image: Printer-friendly version] <https://nacla.org/print/9390>[image: Send by email] <https://nacla.org/printmail/9390> Tweet <http://twitter.com/share> [image: 1989] The peace process between the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government of Juan Manuel Santos is in crisis.<http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/politica/una-pausa-airear-los-dialogos-articulo-448799>The FARC’s general commander Timoleón Jiménez<http://anncol.eu/index.php/colombia/insurgencia/farc-ep/comunicados-de-las-farc-ep/4412-sep-25-tanta-retorica-hace-dano-santos-por-timoleon-jimenez-comandante-en-jefe-del-secretariado-del-comando-central-de-las-farc-ep>, "Timochenko," said on Wednesday September 25, that he is instructing the FARC negotiators to reveal where the negotiations are taking place, and what agreements had been reached. This is in direct violation of what the FARC and the government had agreed to at the outset of the process—that nothing would be disclosed until the process was concluded. Since I have been following this process closely, I am sharing with my readers some important information and an analysis of what has led Timochenko to lash out. An Informant who met with the FARC’s top negotiators a few weeks ago told me that negotiators Iván Marquez and Pablo Catatumbo were both unsatisfied with the adamant refusal of the Santos government to tackle tough points, especially those having to do with the agrarian question. This presumably involves discussions that have already been concluded. But what has happened is that the government has decided to leave the unresolved issues in the agrarian question to future discussions while presenting the case as though a conclusive agreement has been reached. All this while the FARC remained silent due to its commitment to wait until the talks concluded before announcing anything. Well, until now. Why now then? Santos in his attempt to outmaneuver the FARC and his political opponents—including his archival, former president Alvaro Uribe Velez—pushed the envelop by advancing two resolutions through Congress, both upsetting the FARC. One called for a referendum on the agreement when reached, rather than accepting the FARC´s call for a constituent assembly. Second, he offered a judicial framework for transitional justice without consulting the FARC. At the same time he presented to the general public an image of a government that was serious about peace. But the last straw for Timochenko was his speech at the United Nations and his embrace of the International Criminal Court (ICC), claiming that the court would support the peace process without addressing the question of "crimes against humanity" committed by the state and its proxies over the past five decades. For the record, over the course of the conflict, the state and its paramilitary groups have committed more than 70% of the massacres, selective killings, disappearances, and almost all of the forceful displacements. That is to say that state agents with their paramilitary instruments and their death-squad allies committed most of the crimes against humanity. This raises the question of whether the ICC is going to hold the different presidents of Colombia (including the deceased) accountable, along with the Colombian public forces(military, police, and intelligence services) for all their crimes against humanity. If this is the case then the rebels must also pay their dues before the world court of justice, but what we seem to have here is selective justice where most of the state actors remain protected by official impunity or ommission while the rebels are held accountable. This takes us to a lesson from history that says that the winners end up writing the historical narrative and punishing the losers. But President Santos: you have not won this war and the rebels are still standing. This is what Timochenko is trying to tell you in his letter. This is his attempt to retake the political initiative. The FARC can make or break Santos´s re-election bid and hence I think President Santos has overplayed his hand this time around. If the FARC reveals to the public in the coming days what little has actually been achieved after one year of talks, Santos´s re-election bid will be greatly damaged if not fatally wounded. My guess is that Santos will reconsider his strategy if he wants to stay in the game. He must provide some seriousness in tackling the tough issues of land distribution, meaningful political reform, reforming the military, and revisiting the ruling rentier economic model. None of which the Santos team thus far is willing to negotiate. Stay tuned. ------------------------------ *Nazih Richani is the Director of Latin American studies at Kean University. He blogs atnacla.org/blog/cuadernos-colombianos<http://nacla.org/blog/cuadernos-colombianos.> .* *-------------------* * http://colombiareports.co/farc-leader-claims-santos-public-discourse-hurting-colombias-peace-talks/ * * * FARC leader claims Santos’ public discourse is hurting Colombia’s peace talksposted by Adriaan Alsema <http://colombiareports.com/> [image: FARC leader claims Santos’ public discourse is hurting Colombia’s peace talks]<http://colombiareports.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/timochenko2.jpg> "Timochenko" (Still: YouTube) [image: Share Button] <http://www.hupso.com/share/> <http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=twitter&title=FARC%20leader%20claims%20Santos'%20public%20discourse%20is%20hurting%20Colombia's%20peace%20talks&url=http://colombiareports.co/farc-leader-claims-santos-public-discourse-hurting-colombias-peace-talks/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=facebook&title=FARC%20leader%20claims%20Santos'%20public%20discourse%20is%20hurting%20Colombia's%20peace%20talks&url=http://colombiareports.co/farc-leader-claims-santos-public-discourse-hurting-colombias-peace-talks/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=googleplus&title=FARC%20leader%20claims%20Santos'%20public%20discourse%20is%20hurting%20Colombia's%20peace%20talks&url=http://colombiareports.co/farc-leader-claims-santos-public-discourse-hurting-colombias-peace-talks/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=linkedin&title=FARC%20leader%20claims%20Santos'%20public%20discourse%20is%20hurting%20Colombia's%20peace%20talks&url=http://colombiareports.co/farc-leader-claims-santos-public-discourse-hurting-colombias-peace-talks/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=stumbleupon&title=FARC%20leader%20claims%20Santos'%20public%20discourse%20is%20hurting%20Colombia's%20peace%20talks&url=http://colombiareports.co/farc-leader-claims-santos-public-discourse-hurting-colombias-peace-talks/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=reddit&title=FARC%20leader%20claims%20Santos'%20public%20discourse%20is%20hurting%20Colombia's%20peace%20talks&url=http://colombiareports.co/farc-leader-claims-santos-public-discourse-hurting-colombias-peace-talks/> The supreme leader of the FARC, “Timochenko<http://colombiareports.co/timochenko/>,” on Tuesday called on Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos<http://colombiareports.co/profile-juan-manuel-santos/> to promote seeking consensus on issues related to ongoing peace talks. In a press release published on the FARC’s website, Timochenko (nom de guerre of Rodrigo Londoño) condemned Santos for telling the UN General Assembly on Tuesday the FARC was like a “dead cow on the road.” *MORE: *Santos calls on world to respect eventual peace deal with FARC<http://colombiareports.co/santos-calls-world-respect-eventual-peace-deal-farc/> According to the FARC’s commander in chief, Santos spoke with a “serious and irresponsible bias” that are detrimental to a possible success of the peace talks. “The decisions, the accords, will have to be the product of consensus. You can not pretend to be sitting at a negotiations table and that only one of the parties deserves attention. If — as Santos has repeatedly preached — talks are held with the enemy, if peace consists of building bridges between adversaries, the economic and democratic models — the real causes of the social and armed conflict — must necessarily be modified,” said Timochenko. Instead of seeking consensus between the warring parties, Santos is creating division by unjustly putting the blame of suffering caused in the conflict with the FARC, said Timochenko, claiming that “the responsibility for the conflict will have to be taken by us.” “State terrorism, the extrajudicial executions, paramilitarism, displacement<http://colombiareports.co/displacement-in-colombia-stats-map/> and the other horrors, according to him are only attributable to us. The US interests, the Colombian oligarchy, its armed forces, its antisocial and violent policies, its corruption and repressions are completely unrelated and innocent,” added the FARC leader. Adding to Santos’ allegedly detrimental discourse, Timochenko also criticized the Colombian government for implementing post-conflict legislation without debating this with the FARC, while rejecting proposals made by the rebels for example regarding amendments in the constitution. To counter Santos’ alleged “discourse and media offensive” against the FARC, the rebel leader said he had “authorized our representatives in Havana [,Cuba where the peace talks are held,] to prepare a report” “with the exclusive purpose of showing the country and the world what is really happening.” Delegates of the FARC and the Colombian government have been in formal talks since November last year. While the office of the Peace Commissioner has confirmed there exists no real deadline, the president has always publicly said the talks must be concluded before the end of the year, before the race for the 2014 elections take off. The FARC has rejected this deadline. Sources ** - Tanta Retórica Hace Daño, Santos <http://farc-ep.co/?p=2587> (FARC-EP) - ---------------------- - Elections Sep 26, 2013 Santos’ support for reelection drops to 19%posted by Daniel Freeman [image: Santos’ support for reelection drops to 19%]<http://colombiareports.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/santos_sad.jpg> [image: Share Button] <http://www.hupso.com/share/> <http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=twitter&title=Santos'%20support%20for%20reelection%20drops%20to%2019%25&url=http://colombiareports.co/santos-chances-reelection-drop-19/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=facebook&title=Santos'%20support%20for%20reelection%20drops%20to%2019%25&url=http://colombiareports.co/santos-chances-reelection-drop-19/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=googleplus&title=Santos'%20support%20for%20reelection%20drops%20to%2019%25&url=http://colombiareports.co/santos-chances-reelection-drop-19/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=linkedin&title=Santos'%20support%20for%20reelection%20drops%20to%2019%25&url=http://colombiareports.co/santos-chances-reelection-drop-19/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=stumbleupon&title=Santos'%20support%20for%20reelection%20drops%20to%2019%25&url=http://colombiareports.co/santos-chances-reelection-drop-19/><http://www.hupso.com/share/add.php?service=reddit&title=Santos'%20support%20for%20reelection%20drops%20to%2019%25&url=http://colombiareports.co/santos-chances-reelection-drop-19/> According to pollster Ipsos Napolean Franco, Colombia<http://colombiareports.co/>’s President Juan Manuel Santos<http://colombiareports.co/profile-juan-manuel-santos/> faces his lowest approval ratings and reelection hopes since taking the office in August 2010. Radical Change party leader, German Vargas<http://colombiareports.co/profile-german-vargas-lleras/>, leads the polls. The latest Ipsos poll for radio station RCN and newspaper La Semana, released Wednesday, shows that in a survey of over 1,000 citizens spanning across 13 cities, the percentage of respondents supporting President Santos’ reelection has shrunk to just 19%. This concurs with the poll released by pollster Datexco earlier this month that reported the President’s reelection chances were an all time low at 17%. 77% of those polled by Ipsos said they would not vote for Santos, and 78% of those polled by Datexco said they would not vote for him either. The 77% of respondents shows an increase from 60% of people who would not vote for Santos in July of this year, and the 19% of those polled has shrunk from 34% in July as well. This data comes as little surprise as the incumbent’s ratings have plummeted on all fronts especially since nation-wide strikes of multiple industries, including most prominently the agricultural sector, paralyzed Colombia in late August. *MORE*: 68% of Colombians disapprove of Santos: Poll<http://colombiareports.co/68-colombians-disapprove-president-santos-new-poll/> *MORE*: Santos’ urban approval rating plummets to 25%, hits record low<http://colombiareports.co/santos-urban-approval-rating-plummets-25-hits-record-low/> Even though presidential candidate for the Radical Change Party, German Vargas Lleras has publicly said that he would work with the sole purpose or reelecting the President’s policies, in a hypothetical race that took place now between the candidates and the incumbent, Vargas would take away 15% of the vote, and Santos just 10%. Todo nuestro apoyo en estos momentos al Presidente .@JuanManSantos<https://twitter.com/JuanManSantos> — Germán Vargas Lleras (@German_Vargas) August 30, 2013<https://twitter.com/German_Vargas/statuses/373481115152957440> In the same hypothetical, former Mayor of Bogota<http://colombiareports.co/category/colombia-travel/bogota/> and current president of the leftist Alternative Democratic Pole Party Clara Lopez Obregon, and ex-President Alvaro Uribe<http://colombiareports.co/alvaro-uribe/>’s Party, the Pure Democratic Center’s candidate, Francisco Santos Calderon would tie with 7% of the vote. The left We The World Party candidate and career politician, Antonio Navarro Wolff and the rapidly growing Green Party’s and also ex-Mayor of Bogota, Enrique Peñalosa<http://colombiareports.co/enrique-penalosa/> would both come away with 6% of the vote. A recent Datexco poll showed that in a similar race without Vargas, Santos would be first, followed by Lopez in second, F. Santos in third, and Navarro in fourth with Penaloso in fifth. *MORE*: Colombia’s leading socialist candidate closing in on Santos<http://colombiareports.co/colombias-leading-socialist-candidate-closing-santos/> Santos’ popularity rating sits at 29%, a full 20 points lower than the reported 49% just three months ago in July. Santos must declare if he officially intends to seek reelection in just under two months. Colombia Reports will be releasing profiles and interviews with the presidential candidates starting this Sunday. Sources - Solo 19 % De Colombianos Apoya Reelección De Santos<http://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/encuesta-19-apoya-reeleccion-santos/358902-3> - Encuesta Datexco: 78% No Votaría Por Santos Si Decide Lanzarse A La Reelección<http://www.wradio.com.co/noticias/actualidad/encuesta-datexco-78-no-votaria-por-santos-si-decide-lanzarse-a-la-reeleccion/20131209/nota/1969136.aspx> * *
