Congress criticizes appointment of Maduro as "guarantor" of talks between Colombian government and guerrillas

U.S. Republican and Democratic congressmen have criticized in recent days the appointment of Nicolás Maduro as guarantor of the peace talks between the Colombian government and the guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN), which could begin very soon in Cuba.

The appointment was criticized by Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez, who stated that the only thing Maduro and his regime are guaranteeing is "giving refuge to the ELN to carry out acts of terrorism against the country".

The Venezuelan dictator accepted on Tuesday the request that he received from the Presidential House of Colombia, Casa de Nariño, through a letter sent by the new president and former leftist guerrilla, Gustavo Petro. "The peace of Colombia is the peace of Venezuela," Maduro said after assuring that his decision is that of "all the people of Venezuela, and of the 6.2 million Colombians living in Venezuela".

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio also criticized the closeness between the Colombian government and Maduro's regime and accused the ELN negotiating group of not only being responsible for crimes and terrorist acts in Colombia, but also in the United States.

"A terrorist asks an accomplice of terrorists to guarantee dialogue with terrorists," said Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, who has criticized Petro and has even had strong confrontations with Colombian senators who defend the former guerrilla member.

Jim Risch, a Republican member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on Petro to "reconsider putting Colombia's security in the hands" of Venezuela and warned that Nicolás Maduro "is an international fugitive, indicted in the Southern District Court of New York on charges including corruption and drug trafficking."

Petro's request to Maduro comes amid the reestablishment of relations between Colombia and Venezuela. Both nations announced last week the reopening of borders on September 26 after three years of isolation. 

After agreeing to be a guarantor, the Chavista regime would have the task of facilitating a rapprochement between the Colombian State and the ELN, an armed group with a presence on the border between the two countries.

The arrival of Gustavo Petro to the Presidency of Colombia reactivated peace negotiations with the ELN, which could formally begin in "weeks," according to guerrilla commander Israel Ramírez Pineda, alias "Pablo Beltrán," according to local media. 

Negotiations with the guerrilla began during the government of Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018) and were suspended during the term of Iván Duque (2018-2022), following an attack on the General Santander Police Cadet School carried out by the armed group, which left 22 dead and 68 wounded.