Page 6 - aruba-today-20221005

A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 5 OctOber 2022
Mexican government considering army-run airline

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexi- connect beach resorts
co’s president said Tuesday and archaeological sites
his government is analyz- around the Yucatan Pen-
ing the creation of a state- insula.
owned, army-run airline The army which has no ex-
that would fly 10 leased air- perience running commer-
planes as well as the former cial flights would create a
presidential jet. subsidiary in charge of pro-
The unusual plan would viding air service to tourist
further boost the army’s in- resorts served by the Maya
creasing economic role in Train.
Mexico. “This company, which is
The proposal was men- named Olmeca-Maya-
tioned in a trove of army Mexica, is going to operate
documents obtained by the airport in Chetumal, the
the Guacamaya hackers airport in Palenque,” López
group and on Tuesday, Obrador said, referring to
President Andrés Manuel other cities on the train
López Obrador confirmed route.
the plan was under consid- López Obrador suggested
eration. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gives his daily, morning press conference in the new carrier might also
López Obrador has already front of the former presidential plane at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, July 27, serve one of the classic
placed the armed forces 2020. roles of state-owned car-
in charge of building trains Associated Press riers: providing service to
and airports, running feder- ruptcy in 2010, or “some- vious administrations to sell constructing a new airport provincial airports on routes
al law enforcement and a thing to do with Mexico.” off once-extensive govern- at the Caribbean coast re- that commercial airlines
host of other tasks ranging “The economics of it, the ment companies and his sort of Tulum. consider unprofitable.
from overseeing vaccine feasibility, is being ana- near-total reliance on the Apart from boosting traffic “There are cities where
distribution to growing trees lyzed,” he added. armed forces, which he at the currently underused there once were flights and
for forestry programs. “It is very likely that the new views as honest and a bul- Felipe Angeles terminal, there aren’t anymore,” he
“An airline is being consid- airline will be ready next wark against corruption. the army-run airline would said.
ered,” the president said, year.” Already, a military-led apparently provide flights The plan could run afoul of
adding it could be named The idea combines López company operates the to feed passengers into the regulations that currently
“Mexicana” after a de- Obrador’s love of state- new Felipe Angeles airport Maya Train tourism project. prohibit airlines from run-
funct, partly state-owned owned companies he has the president ordered built The army is also construct- ning Mexican airports, or
carrier that went into bank- criticized decisions by pre- to serve Mexico City, and is ing that project, which will vice-versa. q

Colombia and ELN rebels to restart

peace talks

By MANUEL RUEDA A place for the talks has were formerly under FARC
Associated Press not yet been announced, control. The group is known
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) though ELN commander for staging kidnappings for
— Delegates of Colom- Antonio Garcia suggested ransom and attacks on oil
bia’s government and the that different stages of the infrastructure and has been
nation’s largest remain- negotiations could be held listed as a terrorist organi-
ing guerrilla group met on in Cuba, Norway and Ven- zation by the United States
Tuesday and announced ezuela. and the European Union.
that they will restart peace The ELN was founded in the Colombia’s recently elect-
talks that were suspended 1960s by students, union ed President Gustavo Pet-
in 2018. leaders and priests that ro is the nation’s first leftist Members of the Colombian guerrilla National Liberation Army
After meeting in Venezu- drew inspiration from Cu- leader and has promised (ELN), from left, Aureliano Carbonel, Pablo Beltran and Antonio
ela’s capital city, repre- ba’s revolution. to make peace deals with Garcia sit with Ivan Danilo Rueda, High Commissioner for Peace
sentatives of the Colom- The group is believed to the ELN and several other on behalf of the Colombian government, second from right,
bian government and the have around 4,000 fight- armed groups in Colombia. and government representative Ivan Cepeda, during a signing
ceremony agreeing to resume peace talks, at the Casa Cultural
National Liberation Army ers in Colombia and is He has shifted away from Aquiles Nazoa in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022.
issued a statement say- also present in Venezuela the strategy of the previous Associated Press
ing a start date for the where it runs illegal gold government, which sus-
peace talks would be an- mines and drug trafficking pended talks with the ELN abled it to gain the gover- thecommander, Garcia,
nounced after the first routes. after the rebels refused to ment’s trust. Rueda said hinted that the group was
week of November. The Following a 2016 peace stop attacking military tar- that the rebel group had looking for political and
statement also added that deal between the Colom- gets. recently released hostages economic changes.
Norway, Venezuela and bian government and the In a press conference that and scaled back attacks “The way to look for peace
Cuba would be “guarantor Revolutionary Armed Forc- followed the meeting be- against the Colombian mili- is not just by thinking about
states” in the talks, and that es of Colombia, the ELN be- tween both sides, Colom- tary. weapons but by attack-
the participation of civil so- came the nation’s largest bia’s Peace Comissioner The ELN did not disclose ing the root causes of this
ciety groups would be “es- remaining guerrilla group. Danilo Rueda said that the any details on what it would conflict which are inequal-
sential” for the peace talks Since then it has increased ELN had shown changes in seek in exchange for lay- ity and the lack of democ-
to succeed. its activities in territories that its behavior which had en- ing down its weapons. But racy,” Garcia said.q