Colombian Government has reached a historic peace deal with FARC guerrillas to
end a five-decade civil war following peace talks brokered by Cuba.
Both sides have spent four years negotiating an end to the conflict which has cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
As part of the deal, FARC has agreed to disarm its 7,000-strong army at special UN camps
FARC chief negotiator Ivan Marquez called the accord a new chapter for Colombia.
'We can now say that fighting with weapons ends and with ideas begins,' he said from Havana.
The peace deal comprises six agreements reached at each step of the arduous negotiations.
They
cover justice for victims of the conflict, land reform, political
participation for ex-rebels, fighting drug trafficking, disarmament and
the implementation and monitoring of the accord.
Cuban diplomat Rodolfo Benitez announced the deal in Havana following a four-year round of peace talks.
He
said: 'The Colombian government and the FARC announce that we have
reached a final, full and definitive accord... on ending the conflict
and building a stable and enduring peace,' the two sides said in a joint
statement read out in Havana by Cuban diplomat Rodolfo Benitez.
Colombian Govt minister Humberto de la Calle, right, shook hands
with FARC's delegate at the conclusion of the peace talks, Ivan Marquez,
left, after agreeing a historic peace deal bringing to an end some five
decades of conflict
Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos said he would put the peace deal to the people in a referendum on October 02,2016
Residents in Bogota, Colombia took to the streets following the
announcement to celebrate the peace deal which will be put to a
referendum in October by the Colombian government
No comments:
Post a Comment