The head of the delegation of the Colombian government for the peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Humberto de la Calle (R) delivers a speech during the announcement by the Colombian government and FARC of reaching the final peace agreement, in Havana, Cuba, on August 24, 2016.
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Negotiations that began in November 2012 in Havana ended with both sides putting the finishing touches on a lengthy pact that commits the state to expanding its presence in a poor, often forgotten countryside.
In the statement issued today, Mr. Ban warmly congratulated President Juan Manuel Santos, FARC-EP leader Timoleón Jiménez and their negotiating teams in Havana for their hard work and patience in reaching this stage in the process.
An agreement with FARC does not guarantee an end to violence that began as a peasant revolt.
“I can die in peace because finally I’ll see my country without violence with a future for my children”, said Orlando Guevara, 57, crying as he watched the announcement on a giant TV screen in a plaza in Bogota with about 400 other people.
The remaining step to sealing the agreement is a public vote when the agreement is put before Colombian voters as a plebiscite on October 2, continued the Post.
The Marxist-Leninist FARC long ago gave up any pretense that it could use the talks to force major changes to the political and economic system it has been fighting for 52 years to overthrow.
The brutal conflict has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions.
The FARC were forced to the negotiating table in 2012 after a decade of heavy battlefield losses inflicted by the US -back military. Those representatives will function as spokesmen, with no voting rights, and will be involved exclusively in matters pertaining to the implementation of the peace deal, Santos said. They will instead serve reduced sentences of eight years helping rebuild communities affected by the conflict.
Under the terms of the accord, the higher-ranking FARC members will be able to avoid prison if they fully disclose their role in the war and make reparations as part of a truth-and-reconciliation process.
First, Santos must present the accords to Congress and ask it to set a date for a plebiscite.
According to the president, the FARC guerrilla will cease to exist and will become a political movement without guns. Now it says it will keep fighting to change Colombia – only with its leftist ideals, not AK-47s and grenade launchers.
Low voter turnout is also a concern because a minimum of 13 percent of the registered voters, or about 4.4 million voters, must vote in favor for the accord to be ratified. “We have to wait for the citizens’ verdict”. Drug cartels have also fueled the violence in the world’s largest cocaine-producing country. Talks between the smaller, leftist National Liberation Army and the government have stalled.
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Under the agreement, FARC rank and file soldiers will lay down their heavy weapons, leave their jungle camps and slowly reincorporate to Colombian society, with the help of government training programs.
