By Estrella Gutiérrez
CARACAS, Nov 2 1997 (IPS)

Colombian President Ernesto Samper will meet this week with his counterparts from Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico and Venezuela to discuss the creation of a new ‘Group of Friends’ to mediate in a possible future UN-sponsored peace process.

On the occasion of the seventh Iberian American summit, to take place Nov. 8-9 on the Venezuelan island of Margarita, the meetings between the leaders will be a major step on the complex route towards peace talks in Colombia.

The peace talks would be opened under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan – who will be present at the summit – in accordance with the procedures that led to peace in El Salvador in 1993 and Guatemala in 1996.

At the September UN General Assembly, Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico and Venezuela offered to support the pacification of Colombia.

The Iberian American summit will gather the heads of state and government of Latin America’s 19 nations plus Portugal and Spain, as well as leaders of several international bodies as special guests.

The Samper administration and the two main insurgent groups active in Colombia – one of the last bastions of guerrilla activity in Latin America – have indicated that peace talks would require international support. But no substantial st
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SANTIAGO, 2 november

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