Dialogues to Achieve 'Total Peace' in Colombia Begin on Friday

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that "binding regional dialogues" would begin on Friday. Through this mechanism, his administration will define the National Development Plan whose main objective is to achieve "Total Peace" in this South American country.

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"Transforming Colombia into a country living in total peace is not the government's exclusive task... Total peace is everyone's task," he said on Wednesday during a speech to the nation.

"This Presidency was born from the popular will and the popular will will give birth to our administration's most important document: the National Development Plan, a roadmap that will guide the State's action in the next 4 years," Petro pointed out.

"The Colombian society will not remain passive in the face of historical injustice. All citizens must be an active part in the construction of a different country."

Petro proposes the complete pacification of his country, which is an ambitious task given that it implies negotiating with multiple illegal armed groups operating in Colombian territory.

One of the first big tasks towards the country's full pacification will be to reach an agreement between the Colombian state and the National Liberation Army (ELN).

His administration will also have to negotiate with the dissidents of the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and with paramilitary groups linked to drug trafficking.

The first binding regional dialogue will take place in Turbaco in the department of Bolivar, where Petro will explore a methodology defined by the National Planning Department to collect citizen proposals.