U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at the start of a meeting on the issue held in a NY hotel that removing the landmines is an “essential” part of reconstruction after the achievement of a peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrillas. He called on Colombians to respect the political movement that will be formed with the FARC’s signing of a peace deal with the government.
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Willington, center, a rebel of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, sits with his mother Judith, right, and girlfriend during a concert in the group’s 10th conference, in Yari Plains, southern Colombia, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016.
FARC victim Harry Gonzales, left, hugs Hector Riveros, the leader of the “Obvio SI” Movement, as it registers with the National Electoral Committee in Bogota on Thursday.
After almost four years of peace talks in Cuba, FARC leaders must now convince their troops to endorse the 297-page deal concluded last month.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has asked for forgiveness and held the state responsible for the killing of thousands of members of a leftist political party in the 1980s. ‘Will the government hold up its end of the deal?
“Everything we are now doing will help us achieve our goals”, he said, stepping off a helicopter provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to the guerrilla media outlet Noticias Nueva Colombia. FARC rebels are gathering for a congress to discuss and vote on a peace accord reached with the.
“An opportunity for real peace is opening up for Colombia”.
The conference is set to mark another first: FARC leaders will be meeting not in secret, but with the authorities’ full support in the presence of around 900 people, including 50 guests and some 350 journalists from around the world.
This is only the 10th conference in the FARC’s 52-year history.
Ariel Avila of the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation said ratification should proceed smoothly. “We are very proud that we could cross his path”, said guitarist Pablo Araoz from the reggae band, which is famous for its stance on social justice.
Particularly troubling for the FARC, whose leaders have agreed to relaunch as a political party if the deal is ratified, is the memory of a failed peace process in 1984.
Some residents, still embittered by years of mortar attacks and kidnappings committed by the rebels, say they plan to vote against the peace deal in a referendum scheduled October 2.
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Recent opinion polls put the “Yes” vote ahead, though the latest, released Friday by pollster Datexco, found support had fallen by 9.5 percentage points, to 55.3 percent, since the previous week.
