Cuba Revealing No Names in Colombian Peace Talks

HAVANA TIMES — The Cuban government is protecting the identity of its delegates participating as “guarantors” in the peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas, reports EFE.

An official source said to the press Wednesday that in the exploratory phase, Cuba was represented by Carlos Fernandez de Cossio and Abel Garcia. The source said they “participated as guarantors in the preparation of the document, but we don’t know if they will continue.”

Fernandez de Cossio served as the Cuban ambassador to Canada and has held senior-level posts in the Foreign Ministry; while Garcia has been linked to the Cuban trade union movement, according to the Colombian media.

FARC representatives confirmed on Thursday in Havana that Ivan Marquez and Jose Santriz would be acting as members of their negotiating team, and one day earlier Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced his ten negotiators, who are being led by attorney Humberto de la Calle.

On Tuesday, Santos and FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez made public the initiation of the peace-seeking dialogue, a negotiating process that will begin in the first half of October in Oslo, Norway, and will continue in the Cuban capital.